


Fever

by SheeWolf85



Series: Fever [1]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Antagonistic Behavior, Background Kustard, Collars, Communication Failure, Enemies to Friends, Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Eventual Smut, Friends to Lovers, Hurt/Comfort, I don't think anyway, Innuendo, Karaoke, M/M, Mild Angst, Mild Sexual Content, Mind the Rating, Misunderstandings, Sickness, Slow Burn, Social Experiments, Spicyhoney - Freeform, asexual skellies, at first, background rottenberry, but not too much, eventual background mapleblossom, overprotective bros
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2019-09-17
Packaged: 2020-05-18 22:19:40
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 12
Words: 35,091
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19343794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheeWolf85/pseuds/SheeWolf85
Summary: Edge and Rus have never been on good terms with each other, but recently Rus has been seeing the other in a new light. It’s possible he may have been wrong about Edge all along.Two skeletons learning to behave like civilized monsters toward each other come to see something special in the other, something radiant.





	1. Movie Night

**Author's Note:**

> It’s kind of amazing what things will trigger a spark of inspiration. This entire story started with the song Fever by Adam Lambert. It was, as many of my stories were, supposed to have been a oneshot about karaoke and sex, but then the backstory bug bit me and the whole thing developed a plot. 
> 
> Fuck.

Movie Night was so named because they all got together and watched a movie or two. Sometimes three, depending on the circumstances of the night. It was an ingenious title, really. For Toriel. (Or Asgore, depending on the ‘verse.) Not that Rus minded at all, but he might have preferred something more along the lines of Snack, Nap, and Argue Over Who Was Right About the Point of the Movie Night. Something more appropriate.

It had initially started out as Game Night when they first started getting together. Papyrus and Blue had set it up as a way to get to know each other. Edge and Razz had gone along with it as away to keep tabs on the goings on of the multiverse. 

None of the other brothers ever really cared too much as long they got a few snacks out of the deal. 

Game Night was a horrible failure in every conceivable way. Sans and Rus were sneaky cheaters when they thought they could get away with it. Red and Slim were usually too lazy or high to participate. Papyrus and Blue whined about everyone playing by the rules and getting along with each other. 

And then there were Edge and Razz. The two ‘Fell monsters who cared so much about the outcome of a game that some nights nearly ended in a declaration of war between their two ‘verses. 

Game Night quickly turned into Movie Night after only a month.

Edge and Razz were still competitive when it came to the movies they chose, but at least they both had good taste. 

The change didn’t do much to ease the animosity between Razz and Red or Rus and Edge. 

Red at least had a reason to bitch at Razz. Every time Razz said or did something to instigate Edge’s more competitive nature, it was rubbing salt in a wound that could have been healing instead. At some point, Red and Razz found the time to have a heart to heart, and Razz had all but stopped picking on Edge. 

Rus had no reason to act the way he did toward Edge. At least, that was what was he was figuring out. He was learning that Edge wasn’t his LV. He was something much, much more.

Slowly but surely, with each movie night that came and went, Rus would see a side of Edge he’d never seen before. It didn’t happen until after Razz stopped antagonizing him. Then, one day, what had once seemed like cold indifference was instead stoic dignity. 

Edge didn’t lend himself to showing emotion the way the other brothers did. Blue, Papyrus, and Razz were all over the top in their reactions and demeanor. Edge was not. He was silent and observant where the others were loud and obtrusive. 

Rus had once thought it was a lack of interest in their activities, things that Blue took great pride in organizing. He sort of hated Edge for making Blue think his efforts weren’t good enough for him.

But Blue had never said that. It was only an assumption Rus made because he knew how his brother would feel if Edge truly didn’t like the outcome of his planning. Imagine his shock when Edge showed an actual, outward appreciation for Blue’s meticulous planning. The happiness that shone on Blue’s face was overwhelming, and Rus couldn’t even deny that he wanted to hug Edge just for making his brother that happy.

He decided to try an experiment. 

It was a movie night like any other. This time, their entertainment had been chosen by Sans and Red both since they couldn’t decide whose turn it was actually supposed to be. They’d managed to settle on a combination of comedy and horror that included such gems as  _ Odd Thomas _ and  _ Tucker and Dale vs. Evil _ . 

Rus had found a couple of books at the dump a few days prior that he had snagged thinking Papyrus might enjoy them. Being the swap of their universe, he might have read something similar, but Papyrus was a voracious reader of all things readable, and swapped versions of some of his favorite books was something he loved.

Rus kept one out to give to Edge just to see how he’d react. To make it less suspicious, he also kept one out for Razz. 

“Do you have the books for Papyrus?” Blue asked before the movie started. 

“sure do.” He handed Papyrus the books, who promptly squealed in delight and immediately began looking through the top one. Rus then turned to Edge. “i found a few extras i know he already has, but i snagged ‘em anyway. you wanna see if you want ‘em? you or razz?” He handed both to Edge.

Edge accepted the books with a strange expression. He almost looked angry, but then that was default for him. If Rus looked carefully, he could see the shocked surprise hidden in his eye lights. Interesting.

“Oh, um...thank you?”

He looked them both over. “I don’t have either of these. I’ve heard of this one before. Well, something like it.” 

Rus thought for a second he was going to take both books, but then he turned to Razz. 

“Would you like one of them?”

Razz immediately shook his head. “I don’t need handouts,” he huffed loftily.

Edge didn’t take the books back. “Neither do I, but books in good condition are hard to come by in a ‘Fell verse and you know it. Do you want one or not?”

Rolling his eye lights, Razz took the books from Edge’s hand and looked them over. He chose one with guarded excitement in his sockets and handed the other back to Edge. Edge nodded and tucked the book between his leg and the side of the chair he was sitting in. 

Rus took a moment to mentally document the results of the experiment. As he did so, he made a separate mental note to grab more books for the ‘Fell monsters the next time he was at the dump.

Another experiment was conducted the next week, and the week after that. Each time, Edge reacted in a way Rus wouldn't have guessed with their past as it was. It was intriguing to see Edge fluster before haltingly accepting his kindness. 

A few weeks later, something happened that Rus hadn’t planned on.

It was Edge’s turn to pick the movie, and he chose a documentary as he always did. Interestingly, his choice this time was one Rus was actually interested in watching.  

“excellent choice,” Rus told him, reaching over Red on the end of the couch to pat Edge’s shoulder.

Red growled, but he ignored it. 

Edge didn’t say anything, but Rus noticed him shift uncomfortably in his seat. Okay, maybe compliments were not a good thing? Or maybe it was the touch. He’d have to gather more data before he could come to a conclusion. 

A while later, Blue asked Rus to help with snacks in the kitchen. He went without question and took the platter Blue handed him.

“Whatever you’re doing, you need to stop,” Blue told him with a hushed voice. 

“what do you mean?”

“I mean, Edge asked me a little while ago if you’re feeling ill. I think you’re making him uncomfortable. I’m not asking you to go back to annoying him, but maybe stop trying so hard to flirt with him.”

Rus coughed, a hot blush erupting over his face. “flirting?! i’m not flirting with anyone, bro!”

“Hmm. Well, whatever you  _ are  _ doing, please stop.”

Experiment failed, it seemed. 

Halfway through the movie, Red stood up and turned to Rus. “gonna go smoke. wanna come with?”

Rus looked at him skeptically. “depends on what you’re smoking.”

Red rolled his eye lights. “i know you wanna pretend you don’t like gettin’ high, but i’m talkin’ ‘bout cigarettes this time. come on.”

“i didn’t say i want to come.” He had secretly been trying to cut down on smoking for his brother’s sake. Blue hated the habit.

Red glared. “an’ i wasn’t really askin’. get off yer ass ‘n’ come with me.”

Okay. Rus got up, feeling a bit like he’d just been scorned, and followed Red out the front door to the side of the house. 

“why me? why not slim? he looked like he wanted to come join you.”

Red shrugged. “prob’ly did, but i don’t got a bone ta pick wit’ him.”

Rus was silent for a moment as they lit their cigs and took a drag. He just waited for Red to come up with the words to tell him to back off his bro and leave them alone. 

“what are you tryin’ to do wit’ my bro?” he finally asked.

“i’m not trying anything,” Rus tried. He was innocent. Really. Probably.

Red huffed. “you’re tryin’ somethin’; i just can’t decide if i should let you. see, he’s likin’ this new side’a ya, all polite ‘n’ shit like you give a damn ‘bout anyone but yerself.”

“hey!”

“but that means he’s lettin’ his guard down, an’ the minute you decide ta go back ta bein’ an ass ta him is gonna hurt. i ain’t about lettin’ my bro get hurt. you get me?”

Rus found the idea of Edge actually being hurt by him preposterous. He let Red know it, too. 

Red’s eye lights flared. “you think this is some stupid game i’m playin’ here? my bro ain’t your toy to fuck around with.”

“hey, okay, i get it.” Rus raised his hands in surrender and took a step back. “don’t gotta get all pissy on me, geez. i’ll leave your damn bro alone, fucking hell.”

He didn’t bother lighting another cigarette. Instead, he walked away to go back into the house. Red didn’t try to stop him, so Rus figured he’d said all he needed to. 

In the house, Rus firmly kept his eye lights off of Edge. He knew how protective brothers could get. He knew exactly how he’d react if he thought someone was fucking with Blue for shits and giggles. Blue held friendship in high regard, and if he ever found out someone was just pretending to be his friend for some experiment? Yeah, he’d be hurt. And Rus wouldn’t let that shit fly. 

Somehow, he just couldn’t see Edge reacting the same way. He was always so...distant. Like he didn’t care one way or the other what anyone thought of him. Besides, it wasn’t like Rus was going so far as being actual  _ friends  _ with the guy. He was just being nice. 

“Is everything okay, Brother?” Blue asked as Rus sat down. The movie had been paused, and Rus made a mental note to thank Blue for that later. 

“yeah, everything’s cool.” 

He dug out a handful of popcorn as the movie was played again and spent the remainder of the time both eating it and tossing kernels at either Sans or Slim. One hit Papyrus on the side of the skull as he leaned forward, and Rus quickly apologized, trying to hide his laughter as he did. It wasn’t so easy with Sans and Slim both trying their hardest to bust a gut they didn’t have. Papyrus gave him a side eye but forgave him anyway. 

Red didn’t come back in for a while, but Rus had no doubt he was still watching them, seeing what Rus might do when he wasn’t there to play nanny. 

After the movie was over, Sans and Rus started an animated discussion about the space station and what it might be like to one day visit or even work on it. Granted, they’d all have to reach the surface first, but that wasn’t the point. Slim had a few thoughts to add, although his passion was more physics than astronomy. 

Red finally came back in when Razz and Slim were getting ready to leave. Red and Slim performed their signature stoner handshake, which usually meant that Edge and Red would leave soon as well. 

As predicted, Edge stood up when the others were heading toward the door. 

Rus didn’t expect him to reach out and place a hand on his arm, by his elbow.

“Come to the kitchen with me for a moment.”

His tone brooked no argument, and Rus followed without question. He figured he was in for yet another scolding. He had to roll his eye lights; enough was enough and he got the point already. 

But he wasn’t prepared for what Edge said when he turned to him in the kitchen. 

“I apologize for my brother’s behavior,” he said softly.

Rus stood silent. That was not what he expected Edge to say. 

“what?” he finally managed. 

Edge made a gesture of impatience with his right hand. “My brother. I’m sure he threatened you or something similar. I didn’t ask him to talk to you. In fact, I made it clear that I  _ didn’t  _ want him to talk to you. I can handle my own problems; he’s no longer my protector.”

That made Rus smile. “sure he is. i mean, yeah, you’re the captain of the underfell royal guard or whatever, but you know as well as i do that big bros never stop being overprotective.”

Edge lifted a brow bone. “Somehow I find it hard to see you as the overprotective type.”

Ah, yes, a jab at his laziness. Some things may never change. 

What was surprising about that was the sting in his soul. Did Edge really doubt that Rus would protect his bro from anyone and anything that wanted to harm him? What kind of brother would he be if he didn’t?

It didn’t matter. Edge’s opinion of him might not have changed much, but Rus was determined to let it slide like he always had before. 

“you’ve never seen him threatened,” was all Rus offered. 

“True. I hope I never do.”

“yeah. same. is that all you needed?”

“No.” 

He didn’t say anything else for a long moment. 

Rus sighed impatiently. He didn’t want to stand here being judged by Mr. Prissy Pants. 

“well, what is it? you gonna tell me to leave you alone, too? i get it, i overstepped whatever imaginary boundary there was between us and i feel like that’s all i’ve heard today. i’m sorry, okay? is that what you wanted? an apology? i’m sorry; i’ll stop trying to be a decent fucking person.”

He so wanted to just teleport out of there and chalk the whole thing up to a massive failure, but before he could so much as choose a destination, Edge’s hands were on his arms, holding gently. 

“No, Rus, that’s not at all what I wanted. Who else told you to leave me alone?” His voice was calmer than Rus had ever heard it before. Supportive, almost caring even. It was a little unnerving.

Rus kept his eye lights downcast. “my brother thought i was trying to flirt with you and told me to cut it out.”

An odd noise made him look up. Rus realized then that he had never once heard Edge laugh. Not at any of the stupid comedies Sans picked or the uniquely bloody horror Red did. Not even at the ridiculous antics of Blue and Papyrus. 

It wasn’t unpleasant.

“Your world must have strange views on flirting then.”

Rus just shrugged. He wasn’t up for a debate on methods of flirting from around the multiverse. 

“so what do you want then?”

Edge’s face settled back into its usual scowl, and Rus realized he’d been smiling. He pulled his hands back, probably satisfied that Rus wasn’t going to ditch him yet.

“I wanted to thank you. You’ve been trying to play nice, and it took me entirely too long to realize it. I know I’m not the easiest person to get along with, but I do appreciate your efforts.”

And just like that, Rus felt like a complete asshole. He hadn’t been trying to play nice at all. Well, maybe as a byproduct of his experiments, but his main goal was just to see how Edge would react. 

In that moment, he could see a vulnerability in Edge that he would never have guessed possible. It was some strange mirror of Blue, a tentative hope for friendship. 

No wonder Red was so upset. 

“i have a confession to make,” he started. 

But could he really deflate Edge’s hope like that? If Rus really confessed, would they just go back to bickering like enemies again? Even if it had all been an experiment, he didn’t want to go back to that. 

Edge nodded. “Okay?”

Rus could see the guarded look in Edge’s eye lights. He was waiting to hear Rus say it was all a sham. 

He couldn’t do it. 

“you’re easier to get along with than you think you are. i’ve got you figured out, edgelord.”

The relief in Edge’s expression, his whole fucking body, was nauseating. What the fuck kind of person was Rus?

“I highly doubt that. Thank you for talking with me, Rus. I’m sure my brother is waiting for me.”

Edge then turned and left the kitchen, leaving Rus standing there on his own. 

It took him the entire week to figure out what to do about the whole thing. He talked to Blue, explained what was going on and made him swear on Queen Toriel’s honor that he wouldn’t breathe a word of his experiments to anyone else, especially Edge. 

“The fact that you couldn’t tell Edge what was really going on means you do care, Papy,” Blue said over dinner. “You are a good person, even if you can’t see it. I see it, and I know others do, too. Just keep doing what you’ve been doing, but this time do it because they’re our friends.”

Rus gave him a half a smile. “yeah, i guess you’re right, bro. thanks.”

Blue beamed.


	2. Take a Hike

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys so much for the support you’ve shown this so far. I really hope it doesn’t end up super long I have a basic outline but no chapter numbers set. I know myself and words get out of hand way too easily to try to plan that shit, lol. 
> 
> Enjoy!

Weeks passed with movie nights coming and going. Rus and Edge actually started talking like civilized people, and Rus found that he didn’t hate it. 

He also didn’t see Edge much outside of movie nights. Each of the skeletons had preferences for who they spent their time with, and Edge wasn’t Rus’ first choice. He was pretty sure he wasn’t Edge’s, either. 

But Blue was one of Edge’s top picks, and when Blue invited Rus to go to one of their meetings, he was hesitant. 

He knew all about these meetings. Blue and Papyrus started it by getting together and talking about cooking, exchanging recipes, and talking about puzzles and traps. It all sounded more like something a group of middle-aged mothers would do rather than a group of young, spry skeletons. 

Recently, they had invited Edge and Razz to join their group. Razz stated he didn’t have the time, but Edge accepted the invitation with enthusiasm. 

Blue’s words. Rus honestly couldn’t see Edge showing enthusiasm about much of anything, but that was him.

“Come on, Brother! It will be fun!”

“your idea of fun is my idea of torture,” Rus whined. 

“That is not true! Besides, they’re coming here this time and I want you to at least show your face. Please?”

Blue looked up at him, and Rus turned away before he could pull one of his Looks. How he managed to perfect puppy dog eyes even better than the damn dogs was beyond Rus, but he did it. 

“fine, fine, i’ll be there. but only if there’ll be snacks.” 

“Food has always been a fine motivator for you. And of course there will be snacks! What kind of host do you think I am?”

Rus never doubted his bro.

The meeting was just as droll as Rus feared it would be. He got roped into staying by both Blue and Papyrus, and now he was half lying on the couch next to Edge and trying his best to stay conscious.

“You could go do something else if you’re that bored,” Edge said, a touch of irritation in his voice, as he nudged Rus’ leg.

Rus realized then that he’d sprawled out far enough that his right knee was practically in Edge’s lap. He sat up, pulling all of his limbs back into his own personal bubble.

“sorry,” he mumbled.

If he knew anything about Edge, it was that his own personal bubble was at least three times the size of that of any normal person.

Edge didn’t say anything back.

Rus honestly didn’t know what Blue hoped to accomplish by having him stay there. If he actually believed this would get Rus and Edge anywhere other than back to enemies, he was wrong. He could feel Edge’s irritation radiating off of him, and it only got worse when he squirmed or said anything about being bored. 

In truth, it was so boring he would honestly rather go for a fucking walk than stay there. Not even Napstaton playing in the background was enough to break the monotony. He sighed heavily and shifted again, accidentally kicking Edge again in the process. 

Before Edge could say anything or even snarl at him, he stood up. 

“okay, this has been great fun, but i’m gonna get out of here before i piss anyone off any more than i already have. bye.” He offered a half a wave and walked out the front door, pulling his cigarettes out of his hoodie pocket as he went. 

He didn’t expect Edge to follow him. 

“Rus, wait.” 

He turned and tried so hard to keep some stupid, snarky comment from spilling out of his mouth. Edge just couldn't stand not getting to yell at him, could he? They’d been doing so good, treating each other like actual people and not their own personal arch nemesis, but that wasn’t good enough for Edge, was it? He was from Underfell, after all; a little violence was in his nature. 

He mentally slapped himself before any of that could voice itself.

“what?” he snapped instead.

Edge stopped short, his outreached hand falling to his side instantly. 

“I...Are you okay?”

“yeah, fuckin’ peachy. why wouldn’t i be? all this puzzle talk has really amped me up.” He didn’t think to wonder why Edge would ask to begin with.

Edge hummed. “You don’t strike me as the type to care about puzzles.”

In his agitation, he misunderstood Edge’s words. “then what do you think i do care about, huh? oh, wait, i forgot, i don’t care about anything, right? i’m just a lazy, good-for-nothing asshole whose only joy in life is pissing people off. do you mind leaving me the fuck alone?”

He didn’t leave, didn’t say anything for a few long moments. Instead, he just stood there watching Rus. It made his bones itch, like Edge was seeing far more than he should.

“For the record, I was not ‘pissed off’ at you. I was, however, irritated that your brother and Papyrus seem so adamant that you should stay where you’re obviously not comfortable. 

“Regardless, Red tells me that Slim often gets agitated like this if he tries to sit still for too long, too. He thinks it might have something to do with your swapped nature; a part of you is a Papyrus, and so your magic can’t just sit still. Napping and partaking in your interests, or in Slim’s case, getting high, is a way to calm your excess magic, but it won’t burn it off.”

Rus huffed and rolled his eye lights. “yeah, like you know anything about me.”

“I know a lot more than you might think. For example, I know that your magic needs an outlet right now. I can’t pretend to know how you plan to fix that, but I can offer a suggestion.”

Before he could even think about the words, they flew out of his mouth. 

“you think i’d actually  _ want  _ to fuck you?”

Edge scowled an honest frown, and Rus closed his sockets. He needed to get himself together.

“sorry, i didn’t mean that,” he mumbled.

“Oh, so you do want to fuck me?”

The smirk on Edge’s face gave away the joke, but still Rus couldn’t stop his cheekbones from heating up.

“no, i don’t.” But the idea wasn’t exactly unappealing. He didn’t bother saying that out loud. “what’s your suggestion?”

“I was going to say we could go for a walk. Some exercise would be good for you.”

“are you calling me fat?”

“If it will get you to walk with me, yes.”

Rus snorted. “why do i get the feeling you’re just going to be annoying until i agree?”

“It seems you know me more than I gave you credit for.”

He disappeared back inside to get his coat and his boots back on, but soon enough he was back. “Shall we?”

They took the route that led them out toward the forest.

Edge was a fast walker. Rus tended to take slow, leisurely steps, but Edge walked like he had places to go and people to see. Rus supposed that was to be expected of a Guard captain, but it was still difficult keeping up. 

“can you slow down? is that in your programming?” He was practically panting at that point. 

Edge looked at him and, to his surprise, did actually slow down. “I apologize, I forgot to take your pace into consideration when configuring my speed.”

Rus honestly wasn’t sure if that was a joke or if Edge was being serious. 

“you’re not really a robot in disguise, are you?” he asked, reaching out to poke at Edge’s shoulder.

Edge smirked at that. “Not the last time I checked, no.”

“okay, good. napstaton is enough robot for us, thanks.”

That earned him a chuckle. 

The chill in the air was starting to seep through Rus’ hoodie and snow had managed to get into his socks, but he decided not to say anything. He wasn’t sure how long Edge wanted to be out walking. Surely it couldn’t be too much longer. He’d used up enough excess magic; he’d be fine now. 

“Sometimes I forget how beautiful the Snowdin forest really can be,” Edge said softly, looking up toward the cave ceiling and the tops of the trees. “It’s so easy to fall victim to the grind of everyday life, especially when the ‘verse I live in seems perpetually on the brink of war.”

Edge so rarely talked about his home. Rus and the others never asked about it, either. 

“what is your forest like?” He’d been to Underfell only a handful of times, but never out into the forest. It was too dangerous, they said. Rus never argued. 

“Certainly not this peaceful. EXP hunters like to camp out in the trees and wait for children or low HP monsters to get lost. Gangs of them will attack even those with higher HP. It’s disgusting. I’ve been working to get them out of the forest and dealt with, but they’re sneaky and know how to hide.” He shuddered.

Rus had known it had to be something like that. 

“My goal is to someday have the forest be a place where families can go to hike or camp or even climb trees and just let their children be children. I’m not sure how realistic or even feasible that truly is, but I’m determined to try. I see your forest, and the other ‘Tale verse’s, and it gives me hope.”

“you seem to have a lot of that,” Rus mused. 

Edge looked at him. “A lot of what?”

“hope.”

He didn’t say anything else for a while, and Rus started to wonder if he’d said the wrong thing. 

“I have to,” he finally said, a sadness in his tone that Rus had never heard before, “because nobody else in my world seems capable of it.”

They walked on in silence again until the crystals began to dim. Rus didn’t dare say anything else, worried about bringing up more pain for his impromptu companion. He’d wait for Edge to say something instead.

They’d nearly made it to the sentry station by the door to the Ruins. Instead of bothering to check the station or anything else remotely close to work, the two skeletons began making their way back to the house.

The journey was silent this time. Edge would seem to forget that Rus was slow and start to speed up, only to fall back again when Rus had to jog to keep up.

It was dark by the time they made it back, and Rus was doing his best to hide his shivering. If he’d known he was going to be out so long, he would have worn an actual coat and maybe some better shoes. As it was, his tennis shoes were soaked through from the snow and slush they’d walked through. 

His magic had been used up nicely between keeping him warm and walking, and he was looking forward to going to sleep in his warm bed. 

Neither Papyrus nor Blue seemed the least bit surprised that they’d stayed out so long, which made Rus think the whole thing may have been planned somehow. It didn’t really matter. 

Edge and Papyrus left not long after, and Rus was ready to collapse. 

“Did you have a good walk, Brother?” Blue asked just as Rus was heading up the stairs.

He stopped and turned to look down at him. “yeah, i think so. whatever your plan was, i don’t think it worked.”

Blue had the nerve to look confused. “What do you mean?”

“i’m pretty sure i just managed to upset him. not exactly surprising, i know, but also not usually conducive to making friends.”

He put his hands on his hips and frowned. “Well, what did you do?”

The memory of Edge closing in on himself after showing what had to be a vulnerability was painful. He didn’t want to admit to his brother that he’d fucked up just by just stating an observation. That wasn’t exactly a new thing for him, but when it happened it was usually intentional.

“i did what i always do, bro. i opened my mouth.”

And with that, he teleported the rest of the way to his room. He kicked off his shoes and peeled off his socks before emptying the contents of his hoodie pocket onto the table beside his bed, plugged his phone in. He changed into warmer clothes, slipping on a pair of thick, fuzzy socks Blue had made for him, and finally slid under the covers.

Just as he was about to fall asleep, his phone beeped with a text message. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ Thank you for walking with me today. And for listening. I apologize if I ruined the mood with my problems, but I do hope you feel better. _

Rus stared at the text for a long while, his brain trying to process the words he was reading. Confused, he sent a text back.

**_Rus:_ ** _ u didn’t ruin anything. and, yeah, i feel better. exhausted, but i guess that was the point. _

He got a response not two minutes later. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ Get some rest, then. Goodnight, Rus.  _

Still mildly confused, he set his phone back on the table and snuggled into the blankets. 

Maybe he hadn’t fucked up after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> At this point, I want to believe that Blue and Papyrus were just trying to give Rus and Edge more chances to be friendly and talk and whatnot. I don’t *think* they were playing matchmaker, but Papyrus at least probably sees how cute they could be together.


	3. Fever 1.0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It makes me happy to see that some of you are just as excited about Edge taking care of a sick Rus as I am. But first, I think we need a few more misunderstandings and heartache. Don't you?
> 
> Enjoy!

When Rus woke the next morning, he knew something was wrong. 

His body was shivering and covered in sticky sweat, he was both burning up and freezing at the same time, and his head pounded as if someone was hammering away inside his skull. 

Instead of trying to get up, he only shifted enough to reach for his phone, groaning in pain as he did. His bones ached deeply, more than just from the exertion of the day before. He took a breath to steady himself and sent Blue a text.  

**_Rus:_ ** _ don’t feel so hot. will u come take my temp? _

Blue was at his door in record time with the thin thermometer in hand. 

“Oh, Papy, you don’t look good. I can tell just from looking at you that you have a fever. Let’s see if we need to get you to Undyne.”

Before Rus could even protest the thought of moving, much less going to the fucking lab, Blue had the cool thermometer placed against his skull. It felt good but stung with coldness at the same time. 

Blue clicked his tongue. “This is most definitely not good, Brother, but you’ve had worse. I don’t think you need the doctor yet. Let me go get you some medicine.”

That was something Rus could handle. He merely nodded a pathetic agreement and watched as Blue rushed out of the room. 

He returned a few moments later with a tray that had on it a small cup of pills along with a larger cup of juice and a bowl of what was likely some kind of brothy soup he’d heated up. He set it down and carefully helped Rus to sit up against the wall at the head of his bed. He then settled the tray on Rus’ lap.

Rus accepted it all gratefully, swallowing down the pills with the juice before starting on the soup. 

“thanks, bro,” he said between sips. “tastes good.”

“You’re most welcome, Papy. You let yourself get too chilled last night, didn’t you?”

His tone wasn’t accusatory, but Rus still felt the weight of his own blame. He knew better than to keep it to himself. Edge would have agreed to come back earlier if he’d known, probably would have even sacrificed his coat. He knew how easy it was for a low HP monster to get sick when chilled. 

“sorry.”

Blue sat on the edge of the bed and lightly squeezed Rus’ leg through the bedding. 

“You must be more careful than that. I suppose this is partially my fault. I should have made sure you wore a coat and probably better shoes.”

Rus took exception to that. “i’m not some helpless child, blue; i’m an adult and i could have made sure i had those things all by myself. it’s not your fault if your big bro can’t fucking think once in a while.”

Blue huffed. “I still could have at least reminded you.”

It wasn’t worth pushing, and he was feeling a little lightheaded anyway, so Rus let it drop.

He couldn’t finish everything, and once he’d sipped up as much soup as he could, Blue took the tray for him. He managed to get himself back down by the time Blue came back, and he didn’t complain once as Blue tucked him in. 

“I hope you feel better soon, Brother. Let me know if you need anything, okay? I’ll let Alphys know I can’t come train today.”

Rus felt a shot of guilt go through his soul. “bro, you don’t gotta do that. i’ll be fine if you wanna go.”

He could physically feel his brother’s conviction as he settled his hands on his hips. “Absolutely not! You’re ill, and you may need something while I’m gone. I’ll not let you make yourself worse by having to be up and walking around. You need to rest.”

“just bring me a few bottles of water and some snacks and i’ll be fine, bro. go train; you know you hate taking days off.” 

This was going to be a thoroughly excruciating few days, Rus could feel it now. His brother would take the rest of the week off to stay home and nurse him back to health. That meant coming in his room every fifteen minutes to check on him, waking him up in the process. He just wanted to sleep, dammit.

He had once tried to tell Blue to just leave him alone for a few hours, that coming in so often wasn’t helping, and it had almost made Blue cry with guilt over not being a good enough caretaker. 

He would never make that mistake again. He would rather suffer than make his bro think he was anything other than magnificent. 

But that didn’t mean he had to like it. 

“Now you’re just being ridiculous. As much as I hate missing days, I hate seeing you sick even more.” He leaned and pressed a kiss to Rus’ forehead. “Get some sleep. I’ll come check on you in a bit. I love you.”

Rus nodded. “love you too, bro.”

* * *

By the time the weekend came, Rus was ready to scream. 

He wasn’t feeling any better--in fact, he was steadily getting worse--and on top of his brother being his usual overly concerned self, he was going to miss movie night just to stay home with Rus. 

Rus had called everyone he knew in Underswap with a high enough HP to not be in danger near him to come stay with him instead so his brother could go. Nobody was available.

He had then tried to convince Blue that he’d be fine. He’d just sleep through the whole thing, it wouldn’t even be four full hours. Blue reacted as if he’d just told Blue to move out right then and let him die. 

“I am  _ not  _ going anywhere tonight, Brother! You’re ill!” 

“no fucking shit, bro!” he yelled back. The outburst caused him to start coughing, which only sent Blue into another frenzy of patting his back and fussing over him.

Once the coughing fit was over, Rus lay back on his bed, panting for air. “bro, i know i’m sick. i’m still gonna be sick by the time you get back, but i’ll be okay. i hate that you’re gonna give this up for me. i know how much you love movie night.”

Blue frowned as he fussed with the blanket, pulling it up a whole inch to tuck it more securely around Rus’ shoulders. “I love you more, and I’m not going. End of discussion, Papy. Now, do you think you could eat some soup? It’s about time for you to take some more medication.”

Rus sighed, causing him to cough again. It settled quickly, and he nodded. “yeah, soup sounds good.”

Blue nodded and got up. By the time he came back, Rus had slipped into a light sleep, but he was jerked awake by the sound of him setting the tray down on the table he’d cleared off earlier. He hadn’t even griped about the cigarettes or the trash. 

He helped Rus to sit up again before setting the tray on his lap like usual. 

“I know I can be a little overbearing,” Blue said softly, sitting on the side of the bed. “But it’s only because I worry about you. Take your medicine and I’ll let you sleep.”

Rus only nodded as he sipped at his soup. 

After he’d eaten and taken the two blue pills sitting beside his bowl, he quickly fell back to sleep. 

The next morning, he was woken up by the sound of his phone beeping. It was a text message. He leaned over, grunting as his bones ached, protesting the movement, and grabbed his phone. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ Why didn’t you tell me you were cold? We could have gone back earlier, or I could have given you my coat. What angle are you playing here? _

He closed his eyes and settled his phone on his chest. He didn’t want to deal with this right now. Instead of trying, he set his phone back on the table and went back to sleep. 

Blue woke him up only a few minutes later with some breakfast and more medicine. 

“If you’re not feeling better in a few days, I’m going to call Undyne. I know sometimes it has to get worse before it gets better, but you don’t look good at all, Papy.”

Rus didn’t even try to argue. Being sick was practically a lifestyle for him at this point, and he knew how long a typical bug was supposed to last. He should be on the mend by now, but it seemed he was still in the thick of it.

That night, he got another text from Edge. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ I see you’re ignoring me. I hoped you were serious when you said I hadn’t ruined anything, but I see that was stupid of me. I won’t bother you again. _

Rus stared at the text, a strange tightness forming in his soul. He wanted to say something back, but his brain was too fogged by illness and medication to let him think clearly. 

Ultimately, he decided he had to say something. He couldn’t let Edge think he was deliberately ignoring him. He was just...sick.

**_Rus:_ ** _ sorry. i’m an asshole, i know. but i’m a sick asshole, so i think i should be given a little leeway. _

He hit send and held onto the phone with the hope that Edge would respond. He did only a few minutes later. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ It’s not my fault that you’re sick. _

Well, duh. Rus rolled his eye lights despite the ache in his head and typed another message. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ i never said it was your fault.  _

The response was immediate.

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ Why not? Isn’t that why you never said anything about getting chilled, so you could blame this on me? I didn’t let you go home earlier or even offer my coat. _

Fucking hell. Everything hurt, and he just wanted to go back to sleep. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ i’m too sick to argue with you about this shit. goodnight. _

He tossed his phone onto the table and did his best to snuggle into the blankets. A beep signalled another message, but he ignored it. Blue would be coming in to check on him in a few minutes, and he wanted to at least pretend he’d been sleeping when he did.

Throughout the night, he slept fitfully with an unidentified ache in his soul.

The next morning, after he’d eaten breakfast and taken his medication, and after Blue checked him over and said that his breathing was sounding a little bit better, Rus finally checked his message from the night before. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ You? Too sick to argue? I’ll help Blue plan your funeral. _

The cause of the ache in his soul became just a little clearer. He really didn’t want to lose the progress he’d made with Edge, but it seemed he had fucked up after all. 

He really didn’t know why he hadn’t said anything to Edge. It wasn’t because he didn’t want to burden the guy. He just…

No. He knew why. In a burst of clarity, it came to him. 

He didn’t want Edge to make a jab at his HP. It had been a source of harassment in the past, never mind that there were three other skeletons with the same affliction. One of whom was Edge’s own brother. 

Anything that made Rus squirm was good enough to poke at.

To be fair, the same was true the other way ‘round. Rus would poke around at Edge until he found a weak spot, and then he’d press on it as hard as he could until Edge bit back with his own wounding jabs.

He really, really didn’t want to go back to that. 

He didn’t say anything back to Edge. Instead, he deleted the messages so he wouldn’t have to look at them anymore. 

That afternoon, Rus woke up to an unnerving realization. Blue was supposed to go to the dump in Undertale with Papyrus today after work. Granted, Blue still hadn’t gone back to work or back to train with Alphys, but he had all the excuse he could need. 

Rus would be damned if his brother was going to miss out on another of his treasured activities because of him. 

Once again, he reached out to all of his friends in Underswap who were healthy enough to keep an eye on him while his brother was gone. He got a few teases about needing a babysitter, but nobody was available. 

Grinding his teeth together, he sucked up his pride and sent a text to Razz. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ hey, so i’m sick and blue has a thing with papyrus but won’t go unless i have someone else to stay here with me. hint, hint. nudge, nudge. will you come stay with me so my bro can have a little fun? _

Razz’s answer was immediate. 

**_Razzmatazz:_ ** _ I CANNOT. THERE HAS BEEN CRIMINAL MOVEMENT NEAR THE SNOWDIN BORDER AND I CANNOT LEAVE. TELL BLUE THAT I AM SORRY. _

Rus smiled; Razz still hadn’t figured out that typing in all caps was the same as yelling. Either that or he didn’t care. He sent back a message telling him not to worry about it and good luck with the border. 

There was really only one other person he could ask. He stared at the ceiling for a long moment, contemplating. He knew Blue wouldn’t hold it against him if he couldn’t go to the dump with Papyrus, and Papyrus would understand. But…

But Rus couldn’t let that happen without knowing he had done absolutely everything possible to let his brother go. 

With a sigh, he texted Edge.

**_Rus:_ ** _ so i know i’m probably the last person you want to hear from, but please at least read this and know that i’m not asking for me, i’m asking for my brother. blue had plans to spend some time with papyrus, but he won’t go now because i’m sick and nobody else is available to stay with me. if you can’t, it’s cool, but please think about it. for him. you don’t even have to look at me. i’ll probably just sleep the whole time and you can read whatever you want. win-win, right? _

He hit send, hoping Edge actually read the whole thing. 

He half expected Edge to respond by telling him to go to hell, but the actual response was surprising. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ I happen to have the night off, so yes, I can come stay with you. For Blue. _

Blue seemed a little too excited when he heard the news, but Rus let it go. He knew Blue hated to be cooped up in the house probably more than Rus hated being sick, and this opportunity to get away was just what he needed. 


	4. Fever 1.5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You guys are awesome. That is all. 
> 
> Warning for vomit in this chapter. Y’know, just in case.

Rus could hear Blue downstairs explaining how to take care of a sick brother to Edge. He was pretty sure Edge was thinking the whole time that he knew all of it already; he had his own low HP brother that tended to get sick. Still, his patience was staggering. 

At least, when it came to Blue. And almost every other skeleton. 

Razz, Rus, and Red were the only ones who ever seemed capable of getting to him. Red, because he was Edge’s brother and knew his ticks inside and out. Razz, probably because he was another Captain of the Guard and knew how to get to another ‘Fell monster. 

Rus honestly wasn’t sure what made him special. Maybe it was just that his nickname started with an ‘R’ like the others.

“I know what I’m doing, Blue. Please, go have fun with Papyrus. Tell him I said hello,” Edge said, a world of patience in his voice.

“I will. I’m going to say goodbye to Papy. Oh, come up with me so I can show you where a few things are.”

He didn’t hear Edge’s response, but soon enough there were two sets of footsteps coming up the stairs. 

Rus’ door swung open slowly. He didn’t even try to pretend to be asleep. He smiled at his brother and kept his eye lights off of Edge.

“This is his night-time medicine here,” Blue said, picking up a bottle of blue pills. “He needs to take two every night. I’ve already made some soup, so you’ll just need to heat it up, and there’s plenty of juice and water in the fridge.” He set the pills down and looked around the room. 

“Um, there are extra blankets in the closet in the hallway if he gets cold.”

Rus kind of hated being talked about like he wasn’t in the room, but he didn’t dare interrupt, either. Edge had taken offence when he did that in the past, and he didn’t want to start the night off fighting. He wanted to be able to actually ask Edge for something if he needed it.

Instead, he closed his sockets and tried to block out the rest of what Blue was saying about his care. 

“Alright, Papy, I’m leaving,” Blue said, sitting on the side of the bed. “Please tell Edge if you need something, okay? Don’t wait for me to get home.”

Rus opened his eyes and nodded. “that’s why he’s here, right? so you can go and have fun and not worry too much? i promise, if i need something, i will ask for it.”

Blue grinned, satisfied. “Very well. I love you.” He leaned in and gently hugged Rus. 

Rus lifted an arm and patted his back. “love you too, bro.”

In a rush of activity, Blue was gone. He called out one more goodbye before the front door shut. 

Rus squirmed and tried to get comfortable, preparing to just go to sleep, when his door swung open and Edge stepped in. He didn’t say anything at first, just stuck his hands in his pockets and stared at the floor for a few long seconds. 

Finally, he looked up and met Rus’ eye lights. There was a sadness in Edge’s that Rus didn’t like.

“I don’t want to fight with you,” Edge said, a little uncomfortably. “I know you already promised your brother, but please do tell me if you need something.”

Rus nodded. “i will.”

He watched as Edge looked around the room, waiting for Edge to make a comment about the state of it. Blue had done some work on it throughout the week, but it was still a mess. 

Instead, he stepped forward and sat on the side of the bed. “You really don’t look well.”

“so i’ve been told. i feel like shit.”

“And you’ve been sick since the night we walked?”

Rus just nodded again. 

“Have you started to get better at all?”

He shrugged. “i’m not coughing as much. and i haven’t had a high fever since the day before yesterday.”

“Hmm. Does it usually last this long? Or get this bad?” He reached over and lightly pressed the inside of his wrist to Rus’ forehead.

“what are you doing?”

“Checking your temperature.”

Rus snorted. “you have a thermometer in your wrist?”

Edge stared blankly as he slowly pulled his hand back. “I don’t have a thermometer at all. Luxuries like that are saved for the Capitol. This is how I check my brother’s temperature, and it has yet to give me a bad reading. It was habit, I apologize.”

He cringed. “no, i’m sorry, that was rude of me. it’s just, blue always has that little silver thing pressed to my skull. it’s on that table if you wanna see it.”

Edge shook his head. “No thank you. I know what a strip thermometer looks like. Do you need anything right now?”

Rus sucked in a yawn and turned his head when he started coughing. Edge stayed on the bed beside him and gently patted his back until it was over. 

“thanks. no, i don’t think i need anything right now except for some sleep. and, to answer your question, it’s usually on its way out the door by now. this is lasting a lot longer than normal. blue said he’s gonna call undyne probably tomorrow and see if she can take a look at me.”

“Okay. I’ll just be downstairs if you need anything. Is it okay if I leave your door open?”

“yeah, that’s fine.” 

He watched as Edge got up and walked to the door. 

“hey, edge?”

Edge turned. “Yes?”

“thanks. means a lot, even if it’s just for blue.”

A tiny smile formed on his mouth. “You’re welcome. Now go to sleep.”

Edge left, the stairs creaking softly as he made his way down. Rus squirmed a little and shut his eyes, drifting off to sleep within minutes.

* * *

“Rus?”

A hand shook his shoulder lightly.

He startled awake, sucking in a quick breath that led to a coughing fit so deep he couldn’t breathe. 

Large, strong hands on his arms helped him to sit up and lean over the side of the bed, one going to his back to try to help him expel the thickened magic blocking his breathing.

Each cough was hard enough to rattle his entire body and soon he felt sick like he was going to throw up. He tried to push Edge away, get him out of the splatter zone, but he didn’t budge. Only a few more coughs and it happened. He heaved, magic spilling out onto the floor and Edge’s socked feet.

He didn’t jump up or dash away or even curse. He just continued to pat at Rus’ back, holding him firmly to his chest so he didn’t have to use his own strength to lean over the bed. 

The coughing fit finally died down, and Rus sat limp and panting in Edge’s arms. 

“i’m so sorry,” he finally managed, his voice weak and wavering.

“There’s no need to apologize, Rus. I’m going to help you lie back down, then I’m going to run you a bath.”

“but i just had a bath. yesterday.” Still, his body felt sticky and itchy again from sweating during his sleep. Not to mention  dribbles of vomit that crept down his chin to land on his arms.

“That may be, but you currently smell like spoiled magic, sweat, and disease. If you’re not comfortable with it, I suppose it can wait until tomorrow, but for your health, I wouldn’t recommend it.” 

Rus lifted his shirt to give it a whiff, only to pull back quickly.

He nodded. “yeah, okay, a bath sounds good.”

Edge was surprisingly gentle as he helped Rus back in a horizontal position. He pressed his wrist to Rus’ forehead again, and this time Rus didn’t say anything about it. The frown on Edge’s face made him a little worried, though.

“You have a fever again. Not a high one, but it’s definitely there.”  He stood up. “I’ll be right back.”

He took a moment to strip off his socks and tucked them into each other before walking out of the room. 

Rus noticed the tray on the table beside the bed. He felt awful; he usually woke up when Blue came in, negating the need for Blue to touch him or startle him. He listened to the water running and Edge milling about in the bathroom. 

Edge came back a moment later and silently cleaned up the mess on the floor. Rus couldn’t look at him. He couldn't speak. His soul ached deep inside with shame and misery, and he just knew he’d start crying if he were to try to say anything.

When the bath was ready, Edge came back again to help him out of bed. 

“Pick out some clean clothes.”

Rus swayed on his feet at his dresser as he dutifully picked out a pair of black sweats and a bright orange t-shirt, both worn soft with time and care.

He noticed a smirk on Edge’s face as he took them from him. 

“what?”

Edge shook his head. “I just find it funny that you own so many clothes in this garish color.”

Rus tried to pretend to be horrified, but he was sure it looked just as awful as he felt. “excuse you, i’ll have you know that color is the best one.”

“I don’t agree.”

“well, then, you’re wrong.”

Edge sat the clothes on the counter by the sink. “I’ve been wrong before, but this is not one of those times. Do you need help?”

Rus stopped for a second. Had Edge actually offered to help him get naked and take a bath? What the hell happened to the world while he was sleeping? 

“uh, i don’t think so?”

“You’re not going to stumble and fall and hit your head on anything, are you?”

Just as Rus was about to say that was impossible, his head swam with dizziness and he swayed, nearly losing his balance just standing there. He reached out automatically, and his hands found Edge’s shoulders. He gripped hard, holding himself steady even as Edge’s hands settled on his ribs.

“holy fuck, okay, maybe i do need help.” 

Edge nodded. “Alright. I’m going to let you do the work, but I’m right here to keep you steady. Is that okay, or do you think you need more help than that?”

Rus could imagine those words sounding impatient and frustrated, but they didn’t. Edge’s tone was calm and gentle. 

Blue never gave him the option. Instead, he would practically do all of the work for Rus, right down to helping him lift one leg at a time into the water. Edge’s offering of a little bit of autonomy was a relief. 

“no, that’s great. thanks.”

Edge’s hands moved away from his ribs as he took a tiny step back. Rus did his best not to think about stripping naked in front of someone and instead thought about how nice it was going to be to soak in the water for a bit. Maybe with it being Edge there instead of Blue, he’d get a moment to himself. 

Once naked, he took a step toward the tub and swayed. Edge’s hands caught him, holding him just enough to keep him from nosediving into the water. He reached out and held onto Edge’s arm for support as he got in. 

Edge helped him lower himself into the bath, and he couldn’t help a soft moan of delight. The water was deliciously warm, not too hot, and it was glorious on his aching bones. 

“oh, fuck, that’s nice. thanks, edge.”

Edge pulled back when he was settled. “You’re welcome. Please be sure to wash thoroughly while you’re soaking. No more than twenty minutes. I’ll be back to help you get out. Do you need anything before I leave you to it?”

Rus shook his head, leaning back against the wall with his eyes closed. “nah, i’m so good right now. i’ll be squeaky clean when you come back.”

“Alright. I’m going to leave the door open in case you need to holler for me.”

Rus didn’t say anything to that, just gave Edge a thumbs up. He heard something that may have been a chuckle before footsteps receded down the hall. 

He let himself soak peacefully for only a few minutes before he got to work gently cleaning away sweat and grime that accumulated after sleeping while ill. 

Edge returned after what Rus could safely guess was exactly twenty minutes with a fluffy towel in his hands. 

“Let’s get you out and back to bed. To best minimize your chances of getting chilled, I’ll just dry you off since it will be faster than trying to keep you steady while you do it. Is that okay?”

Rus nodded and let Edge help him up. He drained the water and let Edge ruffle the towel over his bones until he was sufficiently dry. The process was much less embarrassing than Rus feared it might be. Edge never commented on his body, hands didn’t linger in inappropriate places. 

Not that he thought Edge was the type to pull something like that, especially when he was sick, but the clinical way Edge moved was still appreciated. 

He then helped Rus into his clothing and back down the hall to his bed. 

Rus stopped short when he stepped into his room. 

“What?” Edge asked, looking at Rus as he stared.

“you changed my sheets?” Rus asked dumbly. 

“Yes. The old ones were damp with sweat and smelled worse than you did. I’m sorry if I overstepped—“

“no, it’s great; don’t apologize. i feel like i should, though. i just wanted my bro to be able to go and have some fun, and here you are taking care of me like you give a damn. i really thought i’d just sleep. i didn’t think you’d have to actually  _ do _ anything.”

Edge was silent for a few moments before he nudged Rus toward the bed. 

“I reheated the soup and brought your medicine.” He gestured to the tray on the table. 

Rus sat down and let Edge help him get settled against the wall with the clean sheet and fresh blankets bunched up around his hips. He then took the tray when Edge handed it to him, set it on his lap, and took his pills before sipping at his soup. 

“thanks, edge. i mean it.” 

Edge sat next to him, holding himself stiffly. 

“I...want to apologize, Rus. For my earlier texts. I was insensitive, and I never should have mentioned planning your funeral. Especially not when you’re ill.” 

Rus looked over at him, studying his grim expression.

“yeah, that was pretty shitty of you. to be fair, i—“

“There is nothing that could make that fair,” Edge interrupted. “Please don’t try to force it. I didn’t realize that you were as sick as you are, but that is no excuse for my behavior. I would like to try to make it up to you, if that’s possible.” He looked over at Rus, a glimmer of the hope Rus once saw back in his sockets. 

Rus nodded. “yeah, ‘course it’s possible. i don’t wanna go back to how we were before.”

“Neither do I. I was rather enjoying that little bit of friendship we had going.”

He couldn’t help but reach out and squeeze Edge’s hand encouragingly. “me, too.”

“I also apologize for keeping you out so long while we were walking,” Edge began. 

Rus shook his head, regretting it immediately. “no, that’s not on you. i didn’t say anything.”

“No, you didn’t, and I still don’t understand why. However, my point is that I completely took over when it was supposed to be about tempering your magic. I should have let you take the lead and decide how far we went.” Edge squeezed his fingers back. “I can’t help but feel that at least part of the reason you are as sick as you are is because you exhausted yourself, burnt up too much of your magic at the same time as getting too chilled, and I should have been paying more attention.”

“shoulda, woulda, coulda.”

A tiny smirk appeared on Edge’s mouth. “Right. Are you finished?”

Rus had eaten all he could, and he nodded as he handed the tray back to Edge. He took it, set it down on the table, then got up to help Rus ease down into the bed. 

“I’ll just be downstairs like before if you need anything. Text me if you feel like hollering would be too much.”

He could only smile to himself as Edge tucked the blanket around him. It was so similar to the way Blue did it, making sure he was well-encased in blanket to keep him warm. 

“thanks again, edge.”

“Of course.”

After another press of his wrist to Rus’ forehead, Edge left the room with the tray in hand. 


	5. It’s a What Now?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter kind of got out of hand and I had to rewrite bits of it when they weren’t cooperating. I’m still not sure I’m 100% happy with it, but it’s as done as it’s gonna get. I hope you guys like it!

Rus woke again when he heard Blue come home. He didn’t stay awake long, only enough to hear Blue’s excited babbling about something he and Papyrus had found and Edge’s indulgent questions about it.

He only half woke when Edge came in to say goodbye, but he felt a smile spread across his mouth when Edge’s wrist once again pressed to his forehead.

“thanks for caring about me,” he mumbled softly.

He didn’t hear Edge’s response, and soon he was replaced with Blue fussing over him. Blue didn’t linger, only checked him over before leaving him to sleep.

The next morning, Blue came in like normal with breakfast and more medicine.

“I’ve called Undyne, and she can see you this afternoon,” he said as he helped Rus up.

Rus nodded. As much as he hated that damn lab, he had to agree that this had gone on for far too long.

“Edge told me what happened last night. I’m so sorry I wasn’t here to help you. That must have been awkward bathing with him here.”

He shook his head at that. “nah, bro, it was fine. he was all professional about it like he was my nurse or something. besides, i’m glad you weren’t here because it meant you were out having a good time. did i hear that you found something cool?”

Blue’s expression immediately brightened. “Yes! You won’t believe it, but we found a karaoke machine! It had all of its parts and even still turned on. Sans is going to look at it and see if he can get it to work since it won’t play any songs or make any noise at all.”

“that’s awesome, bro. maybe movie night can be karaoke night one of these times.”

He nodded excitedly. “Yes, that’s what we’re hoping as well!”

It was nice to see his brother happy again. As much as he knew that Blue would gladly shut out the entire world for the rest of their lives if he really needed to, he had started to lose his vibrance. He was looking less like Blue and more like Sans.

But it seemed a night out was just what he needed. He seemed brighter and more chipper. It was good.

“so what time am I going to see undyne?”

Blue shook his head and fussed again with the blankets. “No, Brother, you’re not going anywhere. I expressed a concern about you making the journey to Hotland in your condition, and she agreed it wouldn’t be a good idea. She’s coming out here instead. I’m not sure what time, but it will be this afternoon.”

Rus nodded. A tiny part of him had been looking forward to getting up and trekking across the underground, but the news was a relief. Just walking to the bathroom to brush his teeth was enough to leave him exhausted.

Blue didn’t linger much longer. He left his brother to sleep, and sleep he did.

* * *

Undyne showed up just after noon. Rus woke up when Blue greeted her at the door. He tried his best to sit up, grimacing when he realized he was dizzy even lying down. His body was covered in sweat again, and he felt cold and hot at the same time.

Damn this illness. He should be better by now. He should at least be at the annoying stage of recovery where he’s still too fragile to run marathons but can at least get out of bed and complain that there’s nothing to watch but Napstaton on TV!

He managed to get himself sat up and resting against the wall, but it left him panting and his head spinning. He looked over when Blue opened the door.

“Brother? What are you doing? You should have waited for us!” Blue rushed over to the side of his bed and fussed, as usual.

“U-um, Blue?” Undyne started. “D-do you m-mind if I-I do that?” She gestured to thermometer in Blue’s hands.

“Oh! Sure, that’s fine.” Blue stepped back and let Undyne get close.

Undyne smiled, and Rus gave her his best attempt back. “heya, doc,” he said weakly.

She nodded. “Hi. S-so y-y-you’ve been s-sick a wh-while, huh?” She reached over to take his temperature and check his eye lights.

“yeah, a whole week now with no signs of it slowin’ down. please tell me i’m not dying.”

“Brother! Of course you’re not dying!”

Rus closed his eyes. He wished so badly he could tell his bro to get the hell out and let him talk to Undyne alone, but he couldn’t.

Somehow, Undyne seemed to know.

She turned and smiled at Blue. “D-do you th-think I could, u-um...talk t-to him? A-alone?”

Blue frowned. “Why? Don’t I need to know what’s going on?”

“O-of course, b-but, um, y-you see, h-he may be, um…” her eyes darted between the brothers “...um, hiding o-or h-holding back s-some of his w-worst symptoms. T-to a-avoid worrying you.”

Rus didn’t even need to look at his brother to feel his eye lights boring into him, wondering. He did look, though; he sent a pleading glance Blue’s way, and breathed a sigh of relief when he nodded.

“Okay, I’ll be downstairs. But, I want to know _everything_ when you’ve completed your examination.”

Blue left, shutting the door behind him, and Rus let himself relax a little bit.

“i really didn’t think he was going to leave.”

Undyne nodded. “Tell me wh-why y-you think y-you’re dying.”

Rus sucked in a breath slowly, carefully, trying to avoid a coughing fit. He still coughed a few times. “a whole week, undyne. i’m still getting fevers, still coughing, still sweating. i honestly feel like i have the energy of a dead snail. i can’t go downstairs because i don’t have the energy to make it back up, and i’m not gonna make blue carry me. he offered, but the kid’s half my size.”

She nodded again. “O-okay. W-well, I mean, y-you don’t look l-like you’re dying. B-but l-looks can b-be deceiving.” She cringed. “I’m going to ch-check your soul.”

“alright.”

He closed his eyes and waited for the pain that accompanied checks in his sickened state, but it didn’t come. When he opened them again, she had pulled some kind of handheld machine from her bag and held it out to him. It beeped and whirred to life before a green laser shot out and scanned his entire chest area.

On the other side of the device, a holographic representation of his soul appeared. She pressed a few buttons on the device, and it beeped a few more times before some stats showed up. Most of them he recognized.

His HP was at three out of his maximum of five. That was new. It had been holding steady at four for a few days.

There were also a few stats he didn’t recognize.

“what is that one?” he asked, leaning forward to look at the letters. PATH. He didn’t know what that stood for.

“Th-that is s-supposed to identify what k-kind of p-pathogen it is,” Undyne explained. “This is a b-bacteria. I-I’ve seen s-something like it before, b-but o-only in a t-textbook.”

That didn’t sound good.

“okay, so what is it?” And how was he going to get better?

“Um...w-well, f-first I need to a-ask you a r-really tough question.”

Fuck. He was going to die. There was no way around it. Whatever was making him sick was obviously attacking his HP, and pretty soon he was going to have zero and he’d turn to dust.  

If the past week was any indication, the process was bound to be painful.

Fuck.

“H-have you, um…” She stalled and took a deep breath. “Have you b-been around a l-lot of d-dust, lately?”

Rus looked at her blankly for a few long seconds.

“do you mean monster dust?” he asked lamely.

She only nodded.

“are you asking me if i’ve killed anyone?”

That only got him a shrug.

He looked up at the ceiling. “no, not that i know of. okay, i know i haven’t killed anyone, and i think i would know if i’d been around dust. Why?”

He thought of Underfell and Swapfell, but he hadn’t been to either of those ‘verses in months. And, when he was there, he never ventured out into the city or the forest. They couldn’t be the cause of this, could they?

“B-because i-if this is wh-what I think it is, this strain of b-bacteria is usually o-only f-found on m-monster dust. It t-tends to g-grow there, f-feeding off the dust.”

Yeah, he was dead.

“how do we kill it?”

“I’m g-going to have to r-research this. I’m not s-sure yet.”

A knock on the door interrupted them. Blue stepped in wearing an expression that told Rus he’d heard everything.  He rushed to the side of the bed and threw his arms around Rus.

“You’re going to be okay, Papy,” he wailed.

Rus pushed him back a little too hard, making Blue stumble backward.

“bro, i’m sorry, but we don’t know how to get rid of this yet. i know you’re strong, but i’m not going to risk you getting it, too.”

Undyne placed a hand on his shoulder. “I don’t th-think it can in-infect a monster w-with high HP. It’s amazing that y-you even c-caught it.  The h-higher the HP, the b-better defences a-against illness.”

Rus looked at Blue and his tear-stained face, worry etched into his features.

“F-for now, I recommend p-plenty of r-rest and f-fluids. Y-you can t-try to h-heal him, Bl-Blue, b-but don’t u-use too m-much of your m-magic. I sh-should have an a-answer w-within the week.”

Blue and Rus both thanked her for coming out, and she left after jotting down a bunch of notes and saving the results of the scan on her machine.

“I’m going to call Razz,” Blue stated after she had gone. “Him and Edge. If it’s something found in dust, their worlds might know more about it.”

Rus nodded. “try razz first. check on him after the border incident. besides, his is a swap world, too, so i’d bet it’s more similar to what i’ve got than edge’s.”

Blue helped Rus to lie back down and gave him another gentle hug. “You’re going to be just fine, Papy. We’ll find the answer.”

Rus didn’t let his brother see his doubt. “thanks, bro.”

He slept fitfully, dreamed of his brother coming in one morning only to find a pile of dust in the bed. He dreamed of his brother catching whatever he had and getting ill, only the Blue he knew now was substituted with him as a baby and Rus was unable to save him.

* * *

When he woke again, he heard voices coming from downstairs. He felt dizzy again, but listened hard enough to pick out both Edge and Razz’s voices. He still couldn’t make out the words that were being said. He didn’t bother trying.

He managed to turn himself around when a wave of nausea hit him.

Fuck.

“bro!” he called out, his voice distorted by an unproductive heave.

The footsteps bounding up the stairs were too heavy to be Blue’s.

His door swung open and Edge stormed in. He didn’t even say hi or ask what was wrong; he just scooped Rus out of the bed and carried him to the bathroom in time to let him puke into the toilet.

Better than on Edge’s feet again, but dammit this was embarrassing.

Blue and Razz appeared in the doorway. Razz didn’t linger, and Rus suspected it was only habit that brought him up after a frantic call from a Papyrus.

“Brother, are you okay?”

Rus sat on the floor with the side of his face on the toilet seat. “that’s debatable.”

“No, he’s not okay,” Edge supplied. “And I don’t think we should be discussing this; I think you should listen to me and let me help.”

Rus was confused.

Blue folded his arms. “And if you’re wrong? If we give him the wrong medicine, it surely won’t help him get better; it will only delay his recovery!”

“I’m aware of that, which is why I’m insisting that you allow me to bring medicine from my ‘verse. The bacteria is likely very similar, but if it shares a swapped nature like the rest of our worlds do, then your medicine may not work at all.”

“ _If_ it’s your world’s bacteria!” Blue shouted.

Rus cringed; the volume hurt his head. Edge stood up and carefully lifted Rus to help him stand and move to the sink. He dutifully washed out his mouth and brushed his teeth even as the others continued their argument.

“I don’t see how that’s up for debate. He was walking with _me_ , he got chilled and used too much magic while he was around _me._  Where else in this world would he have come into contact with enough dust to catch a bug from it?”

“Doesn’t that mean we should keep you two apart?”

Edge rolled his eye lights. “I washed everything and took a shower before I came over. I had run into some...trouble that day before I came here. I didn’t kill anyone, but there was a tussle in some older dust in the streets of Snowdin. I didn’t think about it until much later, after I learned that Rus was sick.”

Rus had finished and reached out to flush the toilet. After he did so, he turned to walk back to his room.

“Can you walk?” Edge asked.

The sting of a check hit his soul, and he winced.

“Does that hurt?”

Rus nodded. “yeah.”

“Has it always hurt?”

That time he shook his head.

“Just when you’re sick?”

“just with this one, this time i’m sick.”

He swayed on his feet, and Edge reached out to steady him.

“Do you want to walk?”

“yeah, if i can.”

Edge held one of his hands and kept a hand on his back while Blue held Rus’ other hand. Together, they led him back to his room. He felt a little ridiculous, but at least he knew he wasn’t going to fall down.

“Your HP is down to two-point-five,” Edge said as they helped him back into bed. “We need to start treatment immediately.”

“I agree,” Razz added. He’d been in the hallway listening to the other two argue. “Monsters in Snowdin with low HP, mostly children whose families live on the streets, are affected by this nasty thing far too often. They don’t usually last long without treatment.”

Blue looked at Rus for a moment before turning his glance to Razz. “What would you do? If it were your brother, would you wait for Undyne to find a medicine, or would you listen to someone else?”

Razz looked at Edge for a moment before he squared his shoulders. “I feel that the evidence is clear. It’s true that your brother could have found a random mass of dust bacteria here in Underswap, but it is much more likely that it came from Edge’s tussle in his world earlier that day. I would listen to my instincts and take the medicine being offered.”

Rus looked between all three, hoping that whatever was decided would either help him or speed up the process of dying. He didn’t want a slow, painful death.

Blue then turned back to Rus. “What do you want to do, Papy?”

Rus didn’t even have to think about it. “i wanna not be sick as fast as possible, and i’m thinking edge’s way might be the way to go.”

Blue nodded. It was decided.

* * *

Edge came back that evening with a bottle of pills. He told Rus and Blue the directions for taking them, two in the morning and two at night for fourteen full days. No missed doses, for any reason. Take with food to better help absorption.

Blue set an alarm on both his and Rus’ phones to be sure they’d remember the time.

Blue had made a grilled cheese sandwich with tomato soup, and Rus took his first two pills with it.

“holy fuck, these are gigantic!” He held up one pill between his forefinger and thumb and looked at it in the light. “are you trying to choke me?”

Edge huffed a laugh. “You would know it if I were. My methods are more hands-on.”

Well, okay then. Rus took the pills and finished as much of his meal as he could.

Blue took the tray when he was finished, but Edge stayed behind in Rus’ room.

He sat on the side of the bed and rested a hand on Rus’ leg. “I should have thought of this sooner.”

Rus snorted. “yeah, because a death bacteria from another ‘verse is the first thing most people think of when a perpetually sick monster falls ill again.”

Edge gave him a dark look. It made Rus shiver.

“I’m serious. I know the symptoms. I’ve helped those infected in the streets of Snowdin so many times.”

Rus swallowed, not sure at all that he wanted the answer to the question he was about to ask.

“how many of them make it?”

Edge shook his head. “Many of them can’t afford the treatment. I’m working to get it more readily available to all of the Underground, but it’s proving to be more difficult than it should be.”

Rus nodded. “how...um, how did you manage to get it for me?”

A terrifying smirk spread across Edge’s face. “I threatened the doctor until she coughed up enough pills to last the entire treatment time. To more accurately answer your question, survival rate among those who get the full treatment is good.”

Rus nodded hopefully. “so you think i have a chance?”

“Yes. And if the antibiotic isn’t helping in two days’ time, I’ll take you to Alphys myself and demand she fix you.”

It took a second for Rus’ brain to catch up. He was about to ask why in the world Edge would take him to Alphys when he remembered that she was their version of Undyne. She was probably a lot scarier.

“i guess we’ll have to see.”

Edge nodded and reached out to check his temperature. His wince wasn’t a good sign.

“You’re burning up again. Would you like a cool rag for your forehead?”

Rus nodded, and Edge immediately got up and left the room. He came back a moment later followed by Blue.

“I know what I’m doing, Blue,” Edge argued as he sat back down and began positioning the rag on Rus’ head.

Oh, it felt like heaven. Rus felt himself smile involuntarily.

“You’re doing it wrong!” Blue all but shrieked.

Rus winced, and he noticed Edge glare at Blue. Before he could say anything, Rus reached out and lightly gripped Edge’s sleeve. It got his attention.

“thank you for everything, edge.”

Edge nodded. “You’re welcome. Blue, do you mind if I speak to you downstairs?”

Rus’ grip on his sleeve tightened. He was in absolutely no shape to fight anyone, but he’d be damned if he didn’t at least try to protect his bro.

“be nice. different world.”

Edge sighed but nodded.

“Yes, Edge, let’s go talk.”

Rus didn’t even try to stay awake or listen to their conversation. Knowing Edge, he’d keep at least his half quiet so the words didn’t carry upstairs anyway.

* * *

Within only a day and a half, it was obvious that the medicine was working. Rus’ fever had disappeared and he was breathing easier. After three full days, it was clear he was on the mend.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don’t be hard on Blue. He’s just worried about his brother. 
> 
> That last paragraph was originally supposed to be the first paragraph of the next chapter, but I’m not sure how long it’s gonna take to finish and I thought you guys deserve to know that our boy is gonna be okay.


	6. On the Mend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for taking so freaking long with updates. Life has been one big shitfest for a while, but hopefully things are starting to look up? A little bit? You guys are all the best, and this chapter is dedicated to a few anons who helped me out. I don't know who you are, but you're out there being awesomely kind and generous. Keep it up. 
> 
> The next few chapters are going to be dedicated to specific people who also helped out and just wanted me to keep doing what I'm doing in return. I plan to do just that. Because of your generosity, I still have a safe space to write, and write I shall. 
> 
> There are also a few other things in the works, commissions of sorts. I'm very excited about them!
> 
> With that, thank you again for reading and loving this story as I do. It's slowly getting back on the track I intended for it when I first thought it up, lol. Enjoy!

Whatever Edge and Blue had talked about that night, it was evident that Blue had taken some things to heart. He no longer came in to check on Rus every fifteen minutes, allowing him to get better, more restful sleep. When he did check on him, he was far more reserved, no longer making decisions for Rus without even discussing it first. 

It was nice, but Rus kind of hated that he liked it. His brother was Blue; overzealous in his care-giving, sure, but he meant well and intent was supposedly everything. 

Edge came by every night to check on Rus and assess how well the medication was working. It was obvious that Blue didn’t exactly like it, but he did at least concede that Edge needed to know. 

Rus finally convinced Blue to go back to work after a full week on the antibiotic. He was going to be fine. Edge and Razz were both on call if he needed something, and Blue had missed two weeks of work already. 

He only needed to call Edge a few times. The first was when he had stranded himself downstairs and couldn't get comfortable on the couch. He'd made it about halfway back up the stairs before he nearly lost his balance. His feeble grip on the handrail was the only thing that kept him from tumbling back down the steps. Unable to make it the rest of the way up, he texted Blue. After ten minutes with no response, he texted Edge. He was about to text Razz when his phone chimed. It was Edge, stating he was on his way. 

Edge had ended up carrying him the rest of the way up the steps and to his bed. Rus babbled incoherent thanks, already halfway to sleep by the time Edge pulled the blanket over him.

Blue had been close to his normal, over-exuberant self that evening when he got home, overly apologetic about missing his brother's text. Rus couldn't lie; he liked the attention and feeling like his brother was getting back to himself.

The second time Rus needed Edge was a week later when he thought he had enough energy to cook something. 

He may have started a small fire, but it was easily handled. So was the mess of burnt offerings that had scattered onto the floor. 

The trouble was that now he was completely out of energy but still hungry. He barely made it out to the couch before he collapsed. 

He lay there, panting, for a few long minutes before he finally admitted that he needed some help. 

He texted Edge first this time. As much as he liked being doted on extra by his brother, he didn't like that it was because he felt bad, and he didn't want Blue to have to come home early from work if he did see the text. Better just to avoid the whole situation.

**_Rus:_ ** _ on a scale of 1 to 10, how busy are u? _

The response came almost fifteen minutes later. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ Seven. Do you need something? _

Rus tried not to imagine those words spoken harshly. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ kinda? don’t worry about it if ur busy, but i ran outta steam trying to set the kitchen on fire. no disasters, i swear, but i’m hungry.  _

Another five minutes passed. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ Luckily for you, I’m busy cooking. Give me twenty minutes to finish and feed my brother, and I’ll bring you some stir fry.  _

Rus couldn’t help but smile at that. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ my hero. _

True to his word, Edge showed up twenty minutes later with a container full of steaming stir fry. He helped Rus get to the table to eat. 

“oh, man, this is good,” Rus moaned. The flavor was spicier than something Blue might make, but Rus discovered that he liked it. “you made this?” He realized he had never actually tasted Edge’s cooking before. 

Edge raised a brow. “Yes, obviously.”

It was a pretty stupid question. The next probably was as well, but he was curious. “why don’t you ever cook for movie nights?”

He looked over to see a soft red blush had spread over Edge’s cheekbones. That was a sight he never thought he’d actually live to witness. Not due to his illness, but rather that he would have put money on Edge not being able to blush at all.

He squirmed in his seat just slightly before answering. “Your brother and Papyrus are sufficient cooks in their own right, and I’ve never been invited to help.”

Rus hummed through another bite. “i think you should invite yourself. you and razz could do a ‘fell dinner one time.”

Edge snorted that time, and Rus noted that his blush was gone. “If you haven’t noticed, Razz and I tend to get a little competitive around each other.”

“that’s a hell of an understatement. okay, so why not just bring something one night and not say anything? or actually ask the others if you can cook? i mean, it’s all fine and dandy if you don’t want to, but this is fucking delicious. i know the others would agree.”

Edge sat back in his chair and did a horrible job of hiding a satisfied smile. It was kind of a good look on him. 

“I appreciate it, but for now I think I’ll let you and my brother enjoy the fruits of my labor exclusively.”

Rus gave him a sweet smile. “aw, you mean it? you’ll cook for me again?”

“Perhaps one more time until you’ve regained enough strength to properly burn down your kitchen.”

Rus chuckled. “thanks for the vote of confidence.”

Edge leaned forward in the chair then, resting his forearms crossed on the table. “I would hardly call it confidence. Perhaps more like pity for whatever ingredients you choose to torture.”

Oh. Ouch. 

Rus cleared his throat and looked down. Maybe he was joking? It didn’t sound like it. 

A jab or two at each other’s ability to burn water was pretty customary before they’d become tentative friends, but having evidence that Edge was actually a good cook made all the shit he’d said in the past hit just a little harder. 

Everyone knew that he and Slim were the worst cooks of the bunch. Even then, Slim could at least make something palatable out of actual ingredients. He had to, because Swapfell had a lot less resources than Underswap. Rus only needed to know how to add water and heat to a boil. 

He didn’t look up when Edge cleared his throat. 

“I’m sorry, Rus. I didn’t intend to hurt your feelings.”

That time he looked up to see Edge watching him with cautious eye lights. He nodded and gave a watery smile. 

“I suppose we aren’t quite to the friendly insult stage yet, are we?”

Rus shook his head. He guessed it would be hard to gauge where the line between a joke and a true insult might be for each other. Rus tried not to let his lack of kitchen prowess get to him, but it was hard when literally every other version of himself was so much better.  

“no, i guess not. sucks, cuz i got a bunch of those.”

Edge smirked. “I’m sure you do.”

After he was finished eating, Edge took the container to the kitchen and washed it out. 

“Would you like to stay downstairs?” he asked. 

Rus sighed. “kinda? but i’m also really tired.”

“Would you like to lie on the couch until your brother comes home? I can gather some blankets and a few pillows from upstairs if you’d like.”

He hated this. He had regained a little bit of energy, but he knew without a doubt that it would be gone the second he tried to climb the stairs to help. He frowned at the floor for a few seconds, thinking about what he wanted. 

Truthfully, what he wanted was to go somewhere and see people. He wanted to hang out at Muffet’s and eat greasy food with Sans or Red, hell, even Slim. He wanted to visit Sans in his lab and explore once again the differences between their methods of following the scientific process. 

He wanted to visit Waterfall and the many caves he’d discovered as a kid, including his secret cave that he was still certain very few others knew about. 

“Would you like to come up with me?”

Edge’s voice brought Rus out of his thoughts, and looked up to see Edge watching him patiently. 

“huh?”

“You have that look I’ve seen on Red when he’s itching to go somewhere but has limited energy.”

That made Rus smirk. “i would think red would look more murdery.”

Edge’s eye lights shrunk and his bones stiffened. Rus was about to apologize when Edge seemed to relax marginally. He shrugged. “Yes, well, the underlying expression is mostly the same. So would you like to come up with me?”

“i’m gonna be slow as fuck. and probably annoying.”

“I’m sure I can handle that. If not, I’ll just toss you into your bed and go home.” He smiled. It wasn’t exactly menacing, but it wasn’t reassuring either. 

Rus nodded slowly. “okay.”

Edge came up to him and held out a hand. “Take it slow. Let me carry the bulk of the items, but you can pick everything out. Be sure to tell me if you’re feeling lightheaded or dizzy at all, alright?”

He had to laugh at the no-nonsense way Edge had of speaking all of his rules. “yes sir, captain papyrus, sir.”

Edge was silent for a few long seconds, standing still in the dining room holding Rus’ hand. He looked perplexed by something. 

“what’s wrong?”

He watched at Edge visibly shook himself. “Nothing. Let’s go.”

The trek up the stairs was horrific. Rus was absolutely certain he had never moved so slowly before in his life. He wanted so badly to just teleport to the top, but he didn’t even have enough energy to start one, let alone finish it. 

Getting trapped in the void was not on his bucket list. 

He was panting by the time they made it to the top. 

“Take a moment and breathe,” Edge said softly. He had a hand on Rus’ back to help him keep his balance. 

“okay, yeah, this isn’t happening. i’m just gonna go to bed.” Dammit, this wasn’t fair!

“Are you sure?” His hand began to rub lightly. 

Rus' fists clenched, and he halfheartedly punched the wall beside him. “i can’t fucking breathe! okay, i can; it’s not like it was before, but this fucking sucks!”

“Yes, it does. If you’re sure you’d like to go to bed, then let’s get you settled. Otherwise, you could wait here while I gather a few things. You can even tell me what you want.”

“why are you doing this, edge?” Rus asked, looking up at the other. “not even two months ago, we hated each other. i’m glad we’re not there anymore, but this just seems like…” he stopped and sighed. “i don’t want your pity.”

Edge nodded. “I don’t pity you.”

“then i don’t want your guilt. you didn’t get me sick.”

His jaw clenched a moment before he spoke. “I’m aware. Truth be told, I did feel guilty for a few days. I realize now that you got sick due to a complex series of events that neither of us could have predicted. I no longer feel guilty, and it’s not why I’m trying to help you get settled on the couch.”

Rus gave him a second to continue. When he didn’t, he pressed again. 

“so why are you doing this, then?”

It shouldn’t have been amusing how Edge shifted his weight from one foot to the other, or how his expression went from mild embarrassment to brotherly indulgence. 

“Red is often ill, as I’m sure you’re aware. His HP is higher than yours, but not by much. A digit or two better on good days. When it gets bad, when he’s hit with something that keeps him down longer than a day or two, he refuses to sleep in his bed. Something about needing a change of scenery. I can’t say that I blame him; being stuck in bed for more than a few hours would drive me mad. You’ve been stuck in bed for two weeks now.”

Rus nodded, still confused about why exactly Edge was so eager to help. 

Edge continued. “I’m offering my help not because I know personally how it feels to be frustrated by your own lack of health, but because I’ve seen my brother go through it. I would hope that anyone brave enough to try to help Red in my absence would treat him the same.”

He supposed that made sense. He just never would have suspected Edge had the capability to be so...kind, even to Red. And yet, truthfully, going back downstairs to nap on the couch and at least have the option of watching something to help pass the time sounded heavenly. He nodded again. 

“okay. mind if i just sit here on the steps while you get stuff?”

Edge shook his head. “I don’t mind at all. Is there anything in particular you would like me to get?”

“just whatever is fine.” He turned and sat down on the top step, Edge’s hand on his arm to keep him steady. 

As Edge went to gather stuff, Rus thought about what this all meant for their friendship. He knew Edge was only being so kind to him because he was ill. That was fine; he didn’t expect or even want this level of care from Edge when he was better. He just hoped they could continue being nice to each other.

Movement behind him made him look up to see a mountain of blankets and pillows shuffling down the hall. 

“holy hell, did you get the whole closet?”

“If you’re anything like my brother, you’ll prefer a nest over a neatly made couch. In short, yes, I got the whole closet.”

The blankets descended the stairs, and Rus watched with no small amusement as Edge’s legs peeked out from underneath them. He couldn’t fathom Edge allowing a mess in his living room, let alone actually making one. This was a sight he simply had to see. 

He stood on shaky legs and made his way slowly down the stairs, clinging to the banister as he had on his first trip down. In the living room, Edge had taken all of the cushions from the couch and was carefully arranging blankets and pillows on top of them to form a cozy nest on the floor. He looked up when Rus came in. 

“I should let you do this. I’m sorry if it’s not right; I’m used to doing this for someone about half your size.”

Rus smirked. “you’re actually apologizing for this? it looks awesome.”

Edge stepped back and gestured for Rus to lie down. He took a quick second to shift the length of the nest so he could stretch out, but then flopped down with a satisfied groan.

“aw, yeah. this is awesome. all i need now is like five blankets on me.” He shifted just a little to lay on his side.

Edge shook his head. “No, you’ll get overheated too quickly.” Still, he leaned over and Rus noticed he had draped some of the blankets over the couch. He grinned as Edge pulled them over, encasing him in a taco of comfort. 

He couldn’t even complain as Edge took a moment to make sure his feet were covered and tucked in, then he handed Rus the remote to the TV. 

“How is this?”

Rus peeked out of the blankets. “i’m pretty much set for the rest of the year, thanks.”

Edge snorted. “Only until you’re better.”

“well, yeah, and at this rate i’ll be back on my bullshit in no time.”

He didn’t miss the indulgent smirk on Edge’s face before he obviously caught himself. “Do you need anything else before I go home?”

Rus would never know what possessed him to speak the words, or even where the hell the words came from. All he knew was that his mouth opened and sounds came out. 

“a ‘get well’ kiss?”

Wait, what?

Edge froze, standing before him with all the stoic uneasiness he was known for, staring down at Rus with something akin to shock in his wide sockets. 

Rus cleared his throat. “sorry, i don’t need anything. i’m good.” He ducked his head down, hiding his face in the blankets around him. His cheekbones were burning up, probably glowing brightly and giving away his embarrassment. 

He heard Edge begin to move around. He did not expect to feel the cushions slightly depress when he leaned down and pressed a kiss to the top of his skull. 

“Get well, brat,” he said softly. “I expect to see you at the next movie night.”

And then he left. 

Rus spent the next few hours thinking about the interaction. What the hell was he thinking, asking for a kiss? And why the hell had Edge given him one?

Once upon a time, he’d convinced Blue that kisses healed wounds and cured illnesses. That was when his baby bro was actually a baby. It didn’t take long for Blue to figure out that it was actually healing magic that did the trick and that kisses had absolutely no impact. 

Still, as Blue gradually took over the household and started to care for Rus, he would still offer a kiss to help heal wounds. 

Rus couldn’t help but wonder if the same was true for Edge and Red. He honestly couldn’t see Red being that mushy. Then again, he would have bet good money against Edge doing pretty much anything he’d done that evening. 

They were full of surprises, weren’t they?

All the more reason to keep working on his friendship with Edge. 


	7. Karaoke Night 1.0

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no excuses for this chapter other than karaoke and Spicyhoney. 
> 
> I would like to dedicate this chapter to Tsaiko. Thank you so much for your help. I hope you (and everyone else) enjoy the chapter! 
> 
> Also, a big thank you to @scruffysinner on Twitter for the song choices of both Razz and Slim. I didn’t know I needed this headcanon of Slim in my life, but now that it’s here I’m never letting it go!
> 
> Mentions of background possible Kustard and past/possible present background RottenBerry and past BlackCherry.

The very moment Rus felt better enough to leave the house, he was gone. 

Admittedly, he allowed his brother to fuss over him more than usual, making sure he was wearing clean socks, he had his coat, gloves, hat, and even a fucking scarf to make sure he didn’t get too cold. 

For fuck’s sake, he wasn’t going on any long journeys. He was going to Muffet’s for some much-needed, grease-laden grub. He’d been eating too damn healthy the last few weeks, and his bones were starting to show it. All glossy and shit like he spent the night polishing them.

It might have been nice if he gave two shits about his appearance. He didn’t, though, and he had zero intention of keeping up the good eating habits. They’d been forced upon him by illness, and he was so looking forward to reclaiming his shitty diet. 

The one and only bad habit broken by his near death experience that he wasn’t planning on taking up again was smoking. He’d been trying to cut down before he got sick, and he felt like it would just be a kick in his bro’s face if he started back up.

After letting Blue lecture him about energy levels and what to do if he felt weak or like he couldn’t make it home on his own, he finally pulled his bro into a hug.

“i’m gonna be just fine, bro,” he said with a squeeze. “i’ll even let you know when i’m on my way home, okay?”

Blue nodded against his shoulder. “Okay, Brother. Please, be safe.”

“you know i will. love you.”

Blue squeezed back once more before letting go. “I love you, too!”

With that, Rus stepped into a shortcut and stepped out just outside Muffet’s. 

Hot damn, it felt good to teleport. The first time he’d done it, just two days ago, had left him so weak he couldn’t stand. He had to wait a few hours before he could do it again. The day before had been better. Even today, he felt a little shaky, but he was fine. Nothing a bit of food couldn’t handle.

He spent a few hours at Muffet’s, talking to friends and making up for lost time. He held no grudges against any of them for not being able to help out when he needed it. Most of them didn’t have very high HP themselves. Either that, or they had families to take care of or businesses to run.

It was nearly dark out when he texted Blue to say he was coming home. He wasn’t too sure about teleporting a second time, so he grudgingly bundled up and walked the few blocks back home. 

Blue was immediately by his side, fretting over him once again as he helped Rus out of his coat and scarf. 

“How did it go? How are you feeling? Are you okay? Do you need to sit down?”

He raised his hands, palms out, in an attempt to calm his brother’s worries. “i’m fine, bro. yeah, i could probably sit down.” He stepped out of his shoes and shuffled over to the couch. “it went great. caught up with a few friends, talked to muff a bit, y’know, the usual.” He shrugged.

“That is very good news!” Blue said with a wide grin. “Oh, I’m so happy you’re feeling better. Are you tired at all?”

Rus could try to hide it, but there wasn’t much point. He nodded. “yeah, i am.”

Blue nodded as well. “Then you should probably go to bed early. Do you think you’ll be up to joining us tomorrow? We’re going to meet at Sans’ and Papyrus’ home.”

“edge already told me i’d better be there.” Rus smiled at the memory. He was actually looking forward to seeing everyone. “so, yeah, i’d better go. if i can handle a few hours at muffet’s, i can handle a movie with you rascals.”

Blue’s grin widened, and his starry eye lights sparkled a bit. “Actually!! Sans got the karaoke machine working, and we’re going to try it out tomorrow!”

Oh, even better. Rus could only imagine the chaos that was going to ensue, and he was damned glad he was going to be able to witness it. 

“well, then i can’t miss it, can i?”

* * *

Leaving the house was one thing. Leaving his ‘verse and traveling to another was something else. 

Rus had never noticed the machine’s drain on energy before. It was subtle, something he doubted anyone else had felt before. 

“Are you alright, Papy?” Blue asked after they’d stepped out into a different basement. 

Rus nodded and leaned against the wall. “yeah, i’m good. just a weird sensation is all.”

Blue’s brow furrowed. “What kind of weird? Bad weird? Do we need to go back home?”

Rus couldn’t help but chuckle a bit at his brother’s concern. “nah, bro, i’m fine. it’s just something i never noticed before. let’s get inside; i wanna see this machine.”

At the mention of the karaoke machine, Blue’s exuberance was back in full force. He nodded excitedly and grabbed Rus’ hand to lead him around the house and knocked on the door.

Papyrus opened up and let them in with a loud and happy greeting. 

“Come in! Come in! I’m so happy you’re feeling better, Rus! I’ve made my famously delicious spaghetti shrimp salad!”

Rus knew better than to quirk a dubious brow at whatever Papyrus had decided to make. He was all about trying new things with various pastas, and he’d gotten much better over the time the skeletons had known each other. Odds were good that the dish would taste much better than it sounded.

“That sounds wonderful!” Blue all but shouted. “We’ve brought some cheesy crescent rolls.” He handed over a large bowl covered in a towel.

Papyrus and Blue wandered off to the kitchen, talking animatedly back and forth about their plans for dinner. 

Smiling to himself, Rus made his way to the living room where Sans was snoozing on the couch, curled up in his typical position face down and covered in a blanket that left him looking like a snow poff. 

“heya, buddy,” Sans drawled lazily. He barely lifted a hand in a wave. “glad to see you made it. been a while.”

Rus sat next to Sans’ curled-up form. “too long,” he agreed. “i’m feelin’ a lot better.”

Sans nodded. “good. blue’d be sad if you died.”

“gee, thanks,” Rus snorted.

“anytime.”

A few minutes later, another knock signalled someone else’s arrival. Papyrus answered the door again, enthusiastically greeting Razz and Slim.

Rus found himself a little disappointed, though he wasn’t sure why. It was nice to see them both. Razz took a seat in the recliner so he wouldn’t have to be near anyone else, and Slim forced Sans to sit up so he could sit on the couch with him and Rus. 

“good to see ya, bud,” Slim said softly, tapping Rus on the shoulder. 

“Yes, I was just about to say the same thing,” Razz said hastily.

Rus smiled at the both of them. “glad to be here.”

They all talked for a while, Rus happily catching up with what had been going on in their lives, especially Sans and Slim. 

Twenty minutes had passed when Rus realized that neither Red nor Edge had shown up. He shifted uncomfortably, wondering silently if they were coming. Granted, he hadn’t come just to see Edge, but he couldn’t deny that he would be disappointed if he couldn’t.

Funny, it wasn’t too long ago that he appreciated movie nights when the ‘Fell skeletons couldn’t make it. He’d gone so far as to ask Edge to leave the moment he walked in the door. Sarcastically, of course; he’d never intentionally upset his brother or Papyrus by actually meaning it.

He decided not to dwell on it. Things were different now, and he was happy for it.

Still, when another knock on the door signalled another guest’s arrival, Rus had to force himself to stay seated and not answer the door himself.

Razz got up instead and opened the door to reveal Red and Edge. They stepped in, and Papyrus appeared from around the corner to greet them as enthusiastically as everyone else.

“I’m sorry we’re late,” Edge said, shifting his weight.

Papyrus waved a careless hand, but Red cut in before he could say anything. 

“he didn’t wanna come,” Red huffed. “i had to force ‘im.”

Papyrus looked honestly hurt, while Edge frowned and slapped Red on the back of the skull. 

“That is not true, you lying shit.”

“oh, so you meant somethin’ else when you said, ‘i don’t want to go.’?” He made a mocking attempt at imitating his brother, folding his arms and turning his nasal ridge up toward the ceiling.

Edge rolled his eye lights. “I simply meant that I have an important meeting tomorrow morning. Regardless, I don’t have any desire to participate in tonight’s activities. Watching you make a fool of yourself, however, is something I’ll always take pleasure in watching.”

Papyrus had overcome his dejection. “Well, we’re all very happy you decided to come!”

Edge looked out to the living room, his eye lights scanning before they landed on Rus. He could have imagined the way Edge’s shoulders relaxed when he saw Rus sitting there. 

He raised a hand in an awkward wave, a smile tugging at his mouth. Edge nodded in return, then turned his attention back to Papyrus and his exuberance.

Papyrus and Blue announced that dinner was ready not long after Red and Edge arrived. The spaghetti salad was noodles covered in a light alfredo sauce with spinach, shrimp, and spices all mixed in. Blue’s rolls went well with it, and soon everyone was digging in. It was tasty, as Rus knew it would be.

To get everyone in a joyful, singing mood, wine was served with dinner. Rus couldn’t help but notice Edge decline, choosing regular juice instead. Papyrus wouldn’t allow the joint Slim brought with him in the house, so he and Red headed outside to smoke a bit. 

When Red and Slim came back inside a while later, well and properly baked, and everyone else was feeling the effects of the wine, they all migrated back to the living room. Sans and Red disappeared for a moment and came back carting the karaoke machine. They hooked it up and took a minute to browse the many song selections. Rus spotted a few he might want to try, and several of the other skeletons voiced their opinions, Red and Slim already laying claim to a few selections.

Once everyone had a chance to decide on at least the first song they’d sing--everyone except for Edge, who was still adamant that he was not going to sing--snacks and more alcohol was brought out, and the furniture was moved to make a makeshift stage for the singers.

Papyrus and Blue had both decided that they would go first with a duet, to celebrate that they were the ones who had found it.

After a rowdy and slightly confusing performance of Under Pressure with Blue taking the role of David Bowie and Papyrus doing his best impression of Freddie Mercury, the other skeletons whooped and hollered their applause. 

Papyrus decided that Sans had to be next since he had fixed the machine. Red huffed and declared loudly that he’d helped.

“you wanna do another duet?” Sans asked, looking at Red. “i got just the one.” He navigated the menu and settled on a title. 

“you tryin’ ta tell me somethin, sansy?” Red asked, a very slight pink blush on his cheekbones. Rus couldn’t tell if he was flushed due to the song choice, the weed, or the alcohol. Maybe all three. 

Sans just shrugged.

Red shrugged back and got up, stepping his way to the ‘stage’. 

“Come on, now; you two aren’t actually going to sing that, are you?” Razz asked, openly disgusted.

“why not?” the two answered in unison. 

Razz rolled his eye lights. Rus was almost certain he was blushing lightly, too. 

“It’s nothing to be ashamed of,” Papyrus said, his words vaguely slurred as he leaned over to gently pat Razz’s shoulder. “It’s not like they haven’t been flirting around it for the past two weeks.”

It wasn’t exactly uncommon for the skeletons to experiment with their counterparts. Rus knew that Razz had slept with both Red and Blue, only thanks to his slightly unprovoked freakout when he assumed that Razz had taken advantage of his bro. 

It turned out Blue had been the instigator and consent had been enthusiastic. That was an image he wouldn’t mind scrubbing from his thoughts, thank you.

Still, Sans and Red’s rendition of “Fucking You Tonight” was probably a bit over the top, even for those two. Papyrus watched between his phalanges even as he reminded them both twice to keep their performance at least under an R rating.

Even Razz was laughing by the end of their song.

Next up was Razz, who declared he had to get the night back on track with real music. As he did with everything in his life, he put his entire soul into his performance of “Sweet Dreams.” He even did the backup vocals, though those had been provided for him.

“Alright, who’s next?” Papyrus asked, swaying drunkenly in his seat.

Slim and Rus looked at each other. Slim shook his head, ever the shy skeleton. Rus shrugged and leapt to his feet. 

“i guess it’s me!” he bellowed, snagging the microphone from the floor where Razz had left it on his crawl back to his chair. “i’m still a bit blech, so i’m sorry if this sucks.” 

He went through the songs, and just as he was about to select his song, his finger slipped and it chose the one under it. 

“no, wait!” 

It was too late. The first beats of “I Need a Hero” started, and Rus realized this was his calling. The music filled his soul, and he turned with dramatic flair, inadvertently looking right at Edge as he started singing. He danced as best as he could, swaying his hips to the beat and doing his best to look around at the rest of the group. His gaze always found its way back to Edge.

During and instrumental moment, he decided he was too damn hot and flung off his hoodie. Underneath it, he wore a plain black tank top, tight enough to cling to his bones and yet low cut enough to show off a good amount of clavicle.

The others whooped and hollered at him, catcalling and filling him with an odd confidence he didn’t usually have. 

He couldn’t help but notice Edge was not saying anything, only watching him with something dangerous and exciting in his crimson eye lights. 

Rus twirled the hoodie over his head as he sang, intending to hold onto it as a prop for a while. Instead, it slipped from his grasp and flew off to smack Edge in the face. 

Because why not? It wasn’t like he was pretending to sing to anyone else anymore. Edge was his hero. He’d given him the medicine to get better, and he’d been there when Rus needed him the most. He never once told Rus to suck it up, buttercup, or to deal with any of his recovery on his own. 

He was turning into a really great friend.

Who was looking rather perplexed and maybe even a little embarrassed. Whoops.

By the time his song ended, his energy had been wiped out. He planned on staggering his way back to his seat, but as he bowed, taking in the other’s applause, he lost his balance.

His arms flailed out, searching for something to grab and steady himself. Blue and Edge both rocketed out of their seats to catch him. 

Edge was closer. He caught Rus by the elbows and steadied him. 

Rus grinned. “damn,” he sighed, “you really are my hero.”

Edge’s pink cheekbones only darkened to something far more red. “I just don’t want to see you die. I’ve put energy into keeping you alive thus far, I’m not about to let it all go to waste.”

Sure. Whatever floats your boat, Edgelord. Rus could only smile stupidly as Edge and Blue both helped him back to his seat. 

As he sat down, he noticed Red glaring at him. He couldn’t even care. It was worth it.

“guess this means it’s your turn,” Sans said, reaching over to slap Slim on the shoulder.

Slim shrugged and stood up, taking the microphone from Rus’ hand. He didn’t seem to care at all about what song was chosen. He wasn’t even looking at the screen as he scrolled too quickly to see the names of the songs before he stopped and hit the button to select whatever he’d landed on. 

Red, Sans, and Rus all groaned out loud as the soft, sweet tones of “When I Fall In Love” started. Knowing Slim, he’d probably either mumble or whisper his way through it. 

Razz cleared his throat and sat up straighter, an oddly smug look on his face. He was usually the first one defending his bro; how could he be among those so sure Slim would be awful?

And then Slim opened his mouth.

Rus was pretty sure his lower jaw hit the floor. 

Slim swayed gently to the music as he sang--actually, properly sang--the song, his eyes closed as he poured his soul into the notes. His singing voice was as pure and smooth as the original artist, each low note resonating through his chest and out into the room around him. 

Holy fucking shit. No wonder Razz was so smug. He was hiding a gem. 

The room was silent after the song ended. Slim tossed the microphone at Edge before he slipped his hood up over his skull and went back to take his seat and an extra long swig of wine.

“Holy cow, Small-Me!” Papyrus exclaimed. “That was extraordinarily beautiful!”

Slim nodded. “thanks,” he whispered.

Once everyone had recovered from their shock, they all looked over at Edge. He stood up and walked over to the karaoke machine. Rus was pretty sure everyone in the room leaned forward just a little in anticipation of what song he was going to choose.

Instead, he flicked the switch and turned the machine off. 

“Awww!” The room erupted in a cry of disappointment. 

“You are going to allow yourself to be the only one who didn’t perform?” Razz asked, crossing his arms.

“I most certainly am,” Edge answered. “It’s late, you’re all drunk or stoned, or both, and I have an important meeting with one of Muffet’s representatives in the morning. You’re going to be there as my backup, Red, so I suggest you come home with me now to sober up before then.”

Red looked over at Sans, obviously torn.  Sans shrugged. 

“i’d listen to the edgelord,” Sans said, jerking his head towards Edge.

Red growled and got up, swaying on his feet. “fine,” he grumbled, carefully picking his steps so he didn’t fall over. 

“The rest of you can continue in our absence, of course,” Edge said, his eye lights landing on Rus for a second before he turned to the door. 

“Thank you for coming!” Papyrus shouted, waving wildly at the two as they opened the door. 

Rus was pretty well drained of energy. He decided to stay and watch the others in their performances and their hilarious attempts at getting Slim to sing again.

By the time he and Blue made it home, he was well and truly exhausted. He let Blue help him up the stairs and to bed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For those who might be curious, the songs were as follows: 
> 
> Under Pressure - Queen and David Bowie  
> Fucking You Tonight - Notorious B.I.G. ft. R. Kelly  
> I Need a Hero - Bonnie Clyde  
> Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of These) - Eurythmics  
> When I Fall In Love - Michael Buble


	8. Catching Up

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry about the wait on this chapter! This one is kind of filler and a bit short, but it's also necessary I think for our side 'ships. There's a bit of talk about Kustard and RottenBerry. The next chapter is written and just needs editing, so expect it up sometime tomorrow afternoon/evening! (Mtn time)
> 
> Also! In case anyone missed it, Edge had a few things to say about the last chapter. Check out "Delirium" for his POV of the last chapter.

The chime of his phone woke Rus from a comfortable sleep. He’d been dreaming something, though he couldn’t quite recall what it was. Although all of the other skeletons had been present in the dream, the focus had been on Edge and Razz. 

He shifted and reached over to grab his phone and check the message. 

**_Sansy:_ ** _ you still comin’ over bro? _

He and Sans had planned a day of maintenance on their machines. Red and Slim would be working on the ‘Fell machines. 

But he hadn’t planned on showing up until noon. What time was it anyway?  

Checking the time, he sat up straight and swore. It was twelve-thirty. Why hadn’t Blue woken him up?

He got up and stumbled into a pair of khakis and changed his shirt before sending a quick text back. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ yeah, sorry dude. slept in. i’m on my way.  _

Downstairs, he swallowed a bowl of oatmeal and a glass of milk before slipping into his shoes and hoodie, then teleported to the basement to fire up the machine. 

Five minutes later, he was in Sans’ living room. 

“it’s no big deal, dude,” Sans said as he waved a hand at Rus’ second apology. “i got a few more minutes of rest; what’s so bad about that? ain’t like we got anything else going on today.”

He had a point. Rus agreed, and they both grabbed a few drinks and headed back downstairs to get started on the machine. 

Basic maintenance was easy as long as it was kept up on. Considering how much the group relied on the machines working properly, they all kept to a strict schedule with charts and spreadsheets and lists galore. 

As Sans read off the various parts of the machine, Rus checked them off on one of the lists. 

It was all pretty mundane; any of them could do it in their sleep. They had two working on any given machine just to avoid any accidents. The buddy system and all that. 

“so,” Rus started as he checked off another component. He wrote an ‘R’ next to it to indicate it needed to be replaced. “tell me about you and red.”

Sans snorted. “what’s there to tell? he’s persistent as fuck, that’s for sure.”

Rus smirked. “persistent  _ for a _ fuck, maybe.”

Sans looked at him, a gleam in his eye lights. “not like i’m much different. i’ve wanted to fuck the guy since i met him.”

“that’s been, what, three years ago now?”

Component roll call over, they moved to pulling out the pieces to give everything a good cleaning. 

“yeah, but how do you tell a guy you just met that you wanna fuck him? ‘sides, neither of us was ready, y’know?”

Rus wasn’t sure he did know. He wasn’t the only skeleton who avoided sexual experimentation with his counterparts, but that didn’t mean he was celibate by any means. He’d had his share of fun, just in his own ‘verse. 

“but now you’re both ready?” he pushed. 

Sans nodded. “yeah, but now that i’ve gotten to know the guy, i don’t think i just want sex. i’m not real sure what he wants.”

Rus nodded sagely. That was something he could understand. Relationships weren’t really his thing, and a few of his partners had ended up hurt because of it. He could understand that Sans would want to protect himself from that. 

“must’a pissed you off when razz got to ‘im first.”

Sans shrugged at that. “nah, not really. i was a bit jealous at first, but when red talked about it, he was pretty adamant it was all for curiosity’s sake. it ain’t curiosity ‘tween him and me. at least, not for me.” He smiled deviously. “‘sides, i think razz is more interested in your bro.”

Rus couldn’t deny that. Blue had been talking about spending more time with Razz lately, wanting to go hang out in Swapfell during safe evenings when things were calm there. Rus wasn’t stupid; he knew exactly what ‘hanging out’ meant and that he didn’t want to know a single detail more than he already did. All he cared about was that his bro was happy and safe, and he could trust Razz enough to keep him safe. As far as Blue’s happiness, Rus let him decide what that was. 

“what about you?” Sans asked, handing him a cloth to wipe down a few of the greasier components. 

“what  _ about _ me?” He didn’t really have anything to share. 

Sans gave him a knowing glance. “you and edge.”

Confused, he answered, “we’re friends now; so what?”

Sans smirked and shook his head. “friends. sure.”

Setting down the part in his hands, he picked up another. 

“yeah, friends. like you and me. or me and everyone else.”

“nah, see, friends don’t gawk at each other like you two were doin’ the other night. you fucking sang to him, dude.”

Rus wasn’t sure why his cheekbones started to burn with a blush. “that’s because he helped me out when i really needed it. he’s a hero to a lot of people, not just me.”

Sans gave him a look that said he didn’t believe that. Instead of commenting, however, he read off the name of the part in his hands to confirm that it needed replacing. 

Rus didn’t push the subject, instead just confirming the part. He and Edge were friends, and that was great. 

Once they finished maintenance and put everything back together, they hopped over to Underswap to do the same thing there. Conversation was kept to gossip about their different ‘verses and the various antics their brothers got up to. 

* * *

Rus was craving something spicy. 

Muffet made some decently spicy foods, but none of it satisfied the craving Rus had. He’d asked Blue to make spicy stir fry for dinner one night, and he’d obliged...as much as Blue could. He just didn’t enjoy the hotter foods. 

Rus honestly didn’t think he did either until Edge showed up with his home cooking a few weeks ago. 

He couldn’t say that he’d thought about it ever since then, because he hadn’t. However, it seemed that since he wanted it again he couldn’t have it. 

Well, Edge had said he’d cook for him again, hadn’t he? That was one way to satisfy this craving. With a hopeful smile on his face, he picked up his phone to text Edge. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ sooooo...remember a few weeks ago when you said you’d cook for me again? _

He set his phone down, knowing Edge was likely at work and he’d get back when he could. In the meantime, he went to see what he could snack on. 

Hours later, after Blue had come home and made some tasty dinner and they'd cleaned up the kitchen, Edge texted back. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ If I remember correctly, I said that I might cook for you once more until you regained your health. Your health is regained, yes? _

Rus rolled his eye lights. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ that’s a technicality. we both know my health is shit. _

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ You’re not wrong. Any requests? _

Score! Maybe. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ something spicy. _

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ That’s it? Just spicy? No other qualifications? _

Rus thought about it for a second. In all honesty, he trusted Edge’s judgement and would eat whatever he decided to make. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ nope; just make it hot. the hotter the better. i’d like to leave with a singed tongue.  _

Maybe he was pushing it. Edge could probably make it that hot and more. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ I suppose I can manage that. Would you like to come here tomorrow for lunch? You’ll be safe as long as you don’t venture into town or the forest. _

Rus jumped up and stabbed a fist into the air. “Yes!” he hissed. He never doubted that he’d be safe in Edge’s verse. Even with his normal health as low as it was, he wasn’t likely to get sick again. Quickly, he typed back. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ sure. time? _

He and Edge set up a time for lunch, then he went to tell Blue where he’d be in case he came home for lunch the next day. 

He knocked lightly on Blue’s door and stepped inside.

“hey, bro. got a minute?”

Blue looked up from the book he was reading and smiled. 

“Of course, Papy! Is everything okay?”

Rus nodded and sat on Blue’s bed. He’d gotten rid of the rocketship a few years ago in favor of something more ‘mature’. The bed he had now had a nice wooden frame and a soft mattress. It was always made up with clean sheets; Blue never let it stay unmade after he got up in the morning, no matter how busy or tired he was. 

“everything’s fine, bro,” he said as he let a hand absently run across the velvety surface of the comforter. “just wanted to let you know i’m gonna go to edge’s for lunch tomorrow.”

Blue hummed, and Rus looked up to see him nodding. 

“Is there any particular reason you’re going there?”

Rus shrugged. “not really. i mean, it’s probably because edge is gonna have to cook and then go back to work after we eat. it’ll be easier on him if i go there instead of having him come here.”

Blue nodded again. “Okay. What will he be making? And did he invite you, or did you ask him to cook?”

Shifting uncomfortably on the mattress, Rus looked down at his lap as he answered. “uh...i’m not really sure what he’s making. something spicy, i guess. and, uh...i...asked him to cook. he said he would, though, a couple weeks ago.” He wasn’t sure why he was starting to feel guilty about asking. He knew, without a doubt, that Edge wouldn’t have agreed if he didn’t want to or felt he couldn’t. 

“Well, I hope you have fun.” Blue picked up his book and began to read again, all but turning his back on Rus. 

Rus sighed. “i thought you wanted me and edge to get along better.” Why did it feel like Blue was suddenly mad at him?

Blue set the book down and got up to sit next to Rus. Quietly, he took Rus’ hand and held it in his lap for a moment. When he finally looked up, his normally starry eye lights were mere circles. 

“I do want that, Papy. And I’m happy that it’s happening!” 

He was silent for a long moment. Rus gently squeezed his fingers. “but…”

“It’s silly of me, but I can’t help but feel like you’re going there for lunch because of me. Because he’s a better cook than I am.”

Rus never wanted to make his bro feel inferior. He knew that Blue had gotten a bit sour about Edge when he started caring for Rus while he was ill, but he had seriously hoped that had passed. 

He pulled Blue onto his lap and hugged him tightly. “don’t be silly, bro; you’re still the best at what you do. i’d bet ya edge couldn’t make a cheesy potato soup half as good as yours. just because you don’t like spicy food doesn’t mean you’re a bad cook, okay? ‘sides, i want you to be able to eat what you make, so i don’t want you to try to make it hotter.”

Blue snuggled into the embrace and nodded against Rus’ shoulder. “Thank you, Brother.”

“anytime.” He pressed a sloppy kiss to Blue’s skull, causing Blue to yell out in playful frustration and struggle against his hold. 


	9. Lunch

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for Keelywolfe. Thank you, my dear, for so much more than the monetary help you provided. I don't think I've said this before, but you are the main reason I gathered the courage to start writing and posting Spicyhoney for realsies. I dabbled a bit in drabbles, but I honestly didn't think I'd be any good at portraying this pairing. With your encouragement, and many sources of amazing inspiration, I gave it a shot. So thank you. 
> 
> Since I started writing and posting Spicyhoney, I've gotten a bit better at it and I've gained more support. I love you all. *huge hugs*

The next day at noon, Rus was down in the basement firing up the machine. He was hungry and so damn ready for something hot and spicy. 

In Underfell, he carefully opened the door to the basement and stepped out, using his key to lock it back up before making his way around the building.  He didn’t dare teleport directly into the house. Even though Edge knew he was coming, there was too high a chance he could be startled, and that would be bad for everyone. 

Edge was already at the door when he made it onto the porch; Rus could hear him unlocking the multitude of locks.

“Come in,” Edge said softly when he finally got the door open. 

Rus did, and a smile spread effortlessly across his face. “damn, it smells good in here.”

Edge just nodded and walked past him to the kitchen, and Rus followed. 

“so, what are we having?” he asked, curiously peeking around Edge to the pan on the stove. The contents were orange and lumpy, but damn if they didn’t smell heavenly. A small pot on a back burner had a lid covering it, and it smelled vaguely of rice. 

“Spicy honey glazed chicken,” Edge answered, stirring the chicken around. It sizzled delightfully.

Rus couldn't even begin to deny the rush of pure excitement that washed over him. Not only was it going to be spicy, but honey sweet as well?

“what did i do to deserve you?” he asked with a grin, looking up with wide sockets to meet Edge’s eye lights. Rus had pushed his way close enough to Edge that their arms were touching. He felt the way Edge tensed up, noticed his jaw clench.

Edge stared at him for a good thirty seconds, his expression as unreadable as ever, before he shifted uncomfortably and leaned forward to turn off the burner. 

Rus cleared his throat and took a few steps back. Edge looked upset, but that was pretty much default for him.

He wasn’t sure what he’d done, but he made a mental note to not do it again. He didn’t want to upset Edge; he wanted to maintain their friendship and maybe even talk him into cooking more. 

Edge moved away from the stove and opened a cupboard on the opposite side of the kitchen. He drew out two plates and glasses, then handed them all to Rus. 

“Please go set the table.”

Rus took the items, a little confused. “is red not coming?”

Edge shook his head, turning back to the stove as he answered. “No; he has work to do.”

Well that was...odd. Wasn’t it? Or maybe it wasn’t. Rus didn’t know enough about Underfell to know what was and wasn’t ordinary. 

Instead of dwelling on it, he went to set the table as asked. 

Edge brought the food over and set it lovingly in the middle of the table, then went to get a pitcher of ice water.  As he sat, he gestured for Rus to help himself. 

He did, scooping up a small mound of white rice on his plate before piling chicken over it. 

Only after he’d gotten his share did Edge serve himself. 

The first bite was pure heaven. The sweetness of the honey offset the sharpness of the spice, but it still bit at his tongue in the most delightful way. 

“oh man,” he groaned, closing his eyes. He looked at Edge, who was watching him with a strange fascination. “what?”

Strangely, Edge didn’t comment. Instead, he blushed a little and turned his attention to his own plate. 

Damn, that blush was cute. It was proof that Edge felt things, and even though Rus didn’t need that proof anymore, it was still nice to see it. 

“this is really good, edge,” he said, trying to see how bright he could get that blush to glow. 

Edge cleared his throat and nodded, his cheekbones returning to their normal color. “Yes, thank you.” 

Well, couldn’t win ‘em all. 

Halfway through his plate, Rus was sweating. He dabbed his napkin over his face and took a few gulps of water. After a few more bites, he decided to take off his hoodie.

He stood up and stripped, grunting when the neck of the thing got caught on his chin. Finally free of the garment, he hung it across the back of his chair and straightened his yellow t-shirt. As he sat back down, he noticed Edge watching him again. 

He didn’t say anything for a minute, testing to see how long Edge would stare at him. He was a little surprised to see Edge’s eye lights dancing down his body. 

“can i help you?” he finally said. Maybe his shirt was still crooked or something. That would probably annoy Edge.

But Edge cleared his throat and shook his head, that damned blush creeping back up his cheekbones.

He adjusted his shirt again just for shits and giggles. 

“Did I make it too hot?” Edge finally said. 

Rus laughed a little. “nah, it’s perfect. i did say i wanted my tongue singed, didn’t i?”

Edge smirked and nodded. “Yes, you did.”

After they were both finished eating, Rus got up with Edge and helped carry the dishes to the sink.

“You don’t need to help clean up, Rus,” Edge said, taking the plate from Rus’ hands. 

“yeah, but i helped eat it.” He’d always taught his brother that if you help eat it, you help clean up afterward. Blue had kept him honest in that regard, too. 

Edge scoffed then, giving Rus a disbelieving side-eye. “Please, I’ve seen you laze about after dinner on movie nights. You help eat then, too, don’t you?”

One of the things Rus didn’t like about movie nights was that the skeletons only got to see the side of them that they presented while there. Rus never bothered to help clean up afterward because there were already too many people helping out and he would undoubtedly be in the way. 

He wasn’t the only one who did the same thing; Red and Slim would often get high behind the house, and Sans napped on the couch until the rest of them returned to continue or start the evening’s entertainment. 

He couldn’t see Edge understanding that, so instead of trying to explain himself, he just shrugged. 

“this isn’t a movie night.”

Edge stared at him again, narrowing his sockets. “I don’t understand why you want to help me, but I suppose I’ll let you.”

Well, now he didn’t much want to. “gee, thanks, edgelord.” He left the kitchen to get what was left. 

He took a deep breath and tried to let go of that all-too-familiar sting in his soul. People always judged him for his laziness. He wasn’t lazy, though. He was practical. If he only had so much energy to spend in a day, he was going to use it wisely. 

There were precious few people in his life who understood or even cared about that, his brother being the first in line. Sans was probably the only one who could actually relate. Both Red and Slim had slightly higher health and energy thanks to their LV, although Slim would often be more understanding than Red. 

“I’m sorry if I upset you.” 

Edge’s voice beside him brought him out of his thoughts and made him look up. 

“eh, it’s no big deal.” He shrugged and tried to brush it off. 

Edge took the dish from his hands and set it down on the table, then took his hands in his. 

“Yes, it is a big deal. I’m understanding more and more that the Rus I thought I knew isn’t the real you. You surprise me sometimes, and although I don’t care for surprises, I’m happy to learn more about you. The real you.”

Rus swallowed and stared down at their hands for a long moment. He finally looked up to see Edge watching him carefully, his crimson eye lights soft in a way Rus had never seen before. They were always so piercing, making him look ready to fight at a moment’s notice. Now, however, they showed a reluctant openness that he was sure Edge didn’t take lightly. 

This was all part of learning how to be friends, he realized. They had to unlearn a few things they’d assumed about each other to get to the real person.

Hadn’t he already had a few illusions about Edge shattered? 

He nodded then and squeezed Edge’s fingers. “i’m happy to learn more about the real you, too.” He smiled up at Edge, big and goofy. “i’m sure you have to get back to work soon, so let’s get this cleaned up.”

He pulled back and gathered a few more dishes before taking them to the kitchen. 

“Yes, okay. Good,” Edge mumbled after him. 

As they washed the dishes, Rus couldn’t help but think about the games he and Blue would sometimes play. Blue would try to stay focused and oh, so serious, but Rus got bored with the monotony of rinsing. 

Washing dishes with Edge was no different. Rinse. Set aside to be dried in a minute. Repeat. He looked at Edge and almost laughed at the concentration on his face. He looked like he was studying for a quiz on the most proper way to wash a dish and he was determined to pass. 

In a moment of pure insanity, Rus decided to lighten the mood. His hands were already dripping, and it was almost instinct to flick droplets of water at his washing buddy. 

Edge froze, his sockets widening for half a second before a growl rumbled in his chest. 

Aw, shit. Abort, abort! This wasn’t Blue, his fun-loving little brother. This was Edge! Stoic and proper and, yeah, he probably knew how to have fun, but it wasn’t a water fight while washing dishes!

“i’m sorry!” he all but shouted, stepping back a few inches. “i don’t know what the fuck came over me. i was bored.”

To his surprise, Edge didn’t yell or even glare at him. Instead, he let out a small chuckle. 

“So that’s how you want to do this, is it?” he asked, a playful darkness in his voice that was almost more surprising than what came next. “Well, come on then.” He gestured for Rus to get back to his position. 

Carefully, Rus stepped back up to the sink. He had no idea what to expect, but something about Edge’s smirk made him wary. 

Edge’s sink didn’t have the detachable faucet or variety of spray settings that his did. It was a standard faucet. That didn’t stop Edge from turning the water on full force and using a spoon to direct the spray at Rus.

Rus sputtered and stumbled backward, raising his hands to try to shield himself from the water. Skeletal hands were pretty shit when it came to that sort of thing, but he had to try. 

“what the actual fuck?” he cried. 

Edge laughed a full-on belly laugh. “You wanted to play dirty,” he said as matter-of-factly as he could while still grinning widely. 

Oh, this was interesting. This was an anomaly among the many facts he knew about Edge. He simply couldn’t let this go untested. 

And so began the greatest water fight he’d ever been a part of. They wet towels to toss at each other, used magic to cup it in their hands and drench the backs of each other’s shirts. They were both smiling and laughing, both soaking wet when the inevitable happened. 

Rus stepped backward, trying to avoid Edge’s latest attack, and his socked foot hit the puddle just right. He slipped, panic overtaking his soul in an instant, and he shrieked as he reached out for something to hold. 

Edge grabbed his arms just as he caught Edge’s shoulders. His momentum was already too strong, and he brought Edge down with him. 

Somehow, Edge managed to turn the both of them so he hit the floor first, Rus landing on top of him with a grunt. Edge’s arms were tight and protective around him. 

They were both silent for a few beats, staring at each other as though trying to comprehend what had just happened. 

“Are you okay?” Edge finally asked. 

Their faces were inches apart, so close he could feel Edge’s warm breath as he spoke. 

Rus nodded and lifted himself a little on his arms, his hands on either side of Edge’s shoulders. “yeah, i’m okay. i slipped; sorry.”

Edge shook his head and let his hands slide down to hold Rus steady, resting on his ribs. “No, it’s okay. I’m just glad you didn’t get hurt.”

Rus couldn’t help but laugh a little. “this is the second time you caught me. you’re a good hero.”

That blush that Rus liked bloomed over Edge’s cheekbones. He pushed up on Rus’ ribs. “Mind letting me up now?” he asked, though his tone wasn’t impatient or harsh in any way.

Rus scrambled to his feet and watched as Edge got up, his movements as graceful as ever. 

Something dawned on Rus then. 

“shit, you’re gonna be late for work, aren’t you?”

Edge’s cheekbones only darkened and he cleared his throat. “I, um...I actually took the rest of the day off.”

Well, that was a surprise. Rus didn’t think Edge even knew how to take a day off. 

“why?” he asked. It couldn’t have been for him. There was no way. 

Edge shrugged then and turned back to the sink to turn the water off. He took the single remaining dry towel and began sopping up the mess. 

“I wanted to,” was his only answer. 

Okay then. 

“is there another towel somewhere else i can use to help?”

As it turned out, there were plenty of bath towels that were perfect for the job. They ended up using three of them to dry not only the kitchen, but themselves and the dishes as well. 

Once everything was dried and put away, Edge turned to Rus. 

“You're still quite wet. Would you like to borrow a shirt? ” He plucked at the fabric at his shoulder. 

Rus shrugged. “nah; it won’t take me long to get home and i’ll change then.”

Edge’s sockets narrowed. “We’re in Snowdin and you’re wet. It doesn’t matter how close you are, you’re going to freeze, idiot. Please, at least take that one off before you put your hoodie on.”

Yeah, he had a point. With a sigh, he nodded.

“okay, fine, you’re right. can i borrow one of yours?”

Edge nodded and left the room. When he came back, he was carrying more than just a t-shirt. He handed Rus the bundle. 

“You can change in the bathroom.”

Rus raised a brow but didn’t comment as he took the dry clothing to the bathroom. Not only did Edge hand him a shirt, but a pair of dark jeans and some socks as well. His pants were pretty wet, he supposed. He’d be able to teleport; he’d be fine! 

But, Edge was probably being overprotective because of how sick Rus had gotten. And, if he showed up at home as he was, Blue would probably have a hissy fit and maybe even call to cuss Edge out for letting him leave like that. 

With a groan, he changed his pants, too. 

One thing Rus could say with absolute certainty was that Edge knew how to dress well. He always looked nice, even if his pants did seem too tight. Now Rus knew why. It was because they were too tight. 

“how in the fuck does he manage to squeeze into these?” he wondered to himself, mumbling curses as he shoved his feet through the pant legs. 

Rus far preferred baggy clothing that let his bones breathe. There was no breathing in these pants. Granted, they weren’t about to fall down, but he’d be lucky to get them back off without the help of scissors or the fucking jaws of life. 

Once he had them on, he shifted and wiggled around a bit to loosen the material. It didn’t help much, but he managed to at least regain a modicum of comfort. He then slipped on the t-shirt and socks, wadded up his wet clothing, and left the bathroom. 

He found Edge in the kitchen, wiping down the now-spotless counter with another clean towel. He had changed as well, now in similar dark jeans and a woven red sweater that looked entirely too nice on him. 

“so,” he said, clearing his throat to get Edge’s attention. He grinned and dropped the wet clothes onto the floor. “how do i look?” 

He struck a pose, then another, and then one more just for show. 

Edge was staring at him with the same dangerous gleam in his eye lights that Rus had noticed the night he sang karaoke and stripped off his hoodie with the tank top underneath. Maybe he liked what he saw? It wasn't entirely impossible; plenty of people in Rus' life had told him he had a nice bone structure, that he was pretty.

“You look...uncomfortable,” was Edge’s reply. 

Rus smirked. “you call these pants? i call ‘em tourniquets.” 

Edge chuckled. “Yes, well, I can’t very well have baggy clothing that could get snagged on branches or caught by the enemy, now could I?”

He had a point. Still. “what about your scarf?”

“A necessity for warmth.” 

Mm-hmm. Probably true, but it was still fun to poke at it. 

“anyway, i’ll ask blue to wash these for ya and--”

“No,” Edge interrupted, his tone inexplicably sharp. “Just bring them back when you’re finished and I’ll wash them here. It’s nothing against Blue or your ‘verse at all, please believe me, but I’d rather not have your scent infused that much into my clothing.”

For a half a second, Rus wasn’t entirely sure if he’d been attacked or if Edge’s words just cut a little deeper than usual. Something sharp stabbed his soul and twisted, and for a moment, he couldn’t breathe. 

He swallowed and did his best to keep from showing any reaction. “what do you mean?” he asked, carefully keeping his voice steady. If Edge didn’t want Rus’ scent on his shit, why did he let him wear them? He clenched his jaw, telling himself there was more to it that he didn’t understand. 

Edge raised a brow. “You know what I mean, Rus.” His voice was low, as if he didn’t understand how Rus could misinterpret his meaning. 

Well, if that’s the way it was... “i’ll be sure to change quickly then,” he said, wincing as his voice shook. He hoped it wasn't as noticeable to Edge as it was to him. He went to get his hoodie back on and slipped into his shoes. 

After a deep breath to calm his emotions, he went back for his wet clothes, still on the floor by the kitchen.  Edge was still standing there, staring at nothing. 

He bent down to grab his clothes and turned for the door. “i’ll see you at the next movie night.”

Edge started to say something, reached out as if to stop him from leaving. Rus didn’t want to hear it. He teleported to the basement and fired up the machine, hoping it would be ready to go before Edge could make it down. He tapped his foot impatiently, mumbling to himself like it might make the machine work faster, as he heard a key rattling in the basement door locks. 

Just as the door opened, he stepped through back into his ‘verse. He made sure to close the connection before teleporting straight to his room. 

Stars, he was stupid. He knew better than to think that he and Edge could be the kind of friends that he and Sans were. Hell, even he and Slim were better friends than he could ever expect or even hope for from Edge. He could borrow clothes from Slim without fear of leaving his scent around.

Their past was their past, and as much as they wanted to move beyond that, they could only go so far.  The only reason he’d offered anything at all was because he was an overprotective shit, just like Blue. 

Rus changed quickly, being careful not to rip Edge’s pants as he eased himself out of them. He folded them neatly and found a plastic bag to put them in so they didn’t get any more contaminated than they already were. 

He’d be sure to give them back at the next movie night. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *cough* I'm sorry? Kinda? 
> 
> Rus has this problem. He can't see past his own interpretation of the world and the others around him. He does try, especially considering the many interpretations that have been proven wrong recently. That still doesn't change the fact that he can't read minds, and certain biases or thought processes are not easy to change.


	10. He's Not a Toy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is for SansyFresh. Thank you so much for being the awesome human being that you are. *huge hugs*
> 
> Also....Uh....So, Red has some anger issues. This probably isn't news, but just keep that in mind.

An hour and a half after he’d gotten home, changed, and let Blue know he was home and didn’t want to talk, Rus’ phone chimed with a message. He almost didn’t want to look at it. He knew who it likely was. 

With a sigh, he picked up the damn phone. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ I truly don’t understand you sometimes.  _

Yeah, well, the feeling was mutual. 

Rus had really thought their lunch was going great. Hell, they’d actually played around in the water like fucking kids. He never once thought he’d get to see Edge so casual and spontaneous. 

He texted back only because he didn’t want to be the petty one giving the silent treatment. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ your clothes are safe in a plastic bag. i didn’t disinfect them; you’ll have to do that on your own.  _

What was it about Rus that disgusted Edge so much? He was a clean skeleton; he bathed regularly and kept his teeth brushed. He didn’t eat consistently healthy, but then neither did Sans, Red, or Slim. He’d never heard a damn thing from Edge about any of them. 

And why did it bother Rus so much? Edge was a particular kind of guy; he knew that. It wasn’t anything new for Edge to have specific standards that were virtually impossible for anyone to actually meet. And yet, the obvious revulsion toward Rus’ scent hurt in a way he couldn’t define. 

His phone chimed again. 

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ Disinfect? What the hell did you do? _

Rus rolled his eye lights. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ i put them on, remember? _

**_Edgelord:_ ** _ It would be hard to forget, considering I’m the one who lent them to you. I’m not certain why you wearing my clothing warrants them being disinfected. _

Dammit, he was so fucking frustrating sometimes! Rus honestly didn’t know if he wanted to even bother sending a reply to that. In the end, he sucked in a deep breath and typed a message. 

**_Rus:_ ** _ my scent, asshole. or did you forget that you don’t want my scent on your clothes? don’t worry, i took ‘em off the minute i got home to limit contamination. you can have them back on saturday at movie night. _

His sockets felt hot as he hit the send button. He didn’t know why Edge was playing stupid, but it wasn’t funny in the slightest. Red had been afraid of him hurting Edge’s feelings; wasn’t it just fucking hilarious that he was the one who ended up getting jerked around?

He hadn’t expected much of a reply from Edge after that. Maybe one or two words just to drive the message in deeper. Instead, his phone began to ring. Edge’s scowling face, murder in his eye lights, lit up the screen. It was a picture Rus had taken at the height of their hostility. Rus had made some terrible joke about a dust addiction, and Edge had tried his hardest to murder him with a glare. He should probably change that picture. 

Rus swallowed and answered the call. 

“i don’t want to fight with you, edge,” he said tiredly.

“That’s not why I’m calling. I want to know how you got this notion that I’m so repulsed by you and your scent that I would consider it contamination. If that was the case, why would I lend you my clothing?”

“i don’t fucking know!” Rus shouted, raising his free hand in the air. “why don’t you tell me, edge? i’d be fucking delighted to know, becuase you can’t seem to make up your goddamned mind about this.”

“Make up my mind about what, exactly?” Edge’s tone wasn’t angry, but it wasn’t patient either.

Rus sighed and rubbed between his sockets for a second. “okay, since you have obviously developed some kind of random amnesia, let me remind you that you told me not even two hours ago that you don’t want my scent on your clothes. those were your exact fucking words.”

Edge was silent for a few seconds, and Rus contemplated just hanging up the phone. Before he could make the decision, Edge spoke.

“That wasn’t what I meant.”

Right. 

“i asked you what you meant, remember? you didn’t bother explaining shit.”

“No, I didn’t, because I thought you knew, that you were just being...difficult.” He sighed, though it sounded resigned rather than upset. “I apologize, Rus. You did ask me what I meant, and I made the wrong assumption that you would know. I should have explained myself regardless.”

Rus swallowed and sat down on his bed, his eye lights landing on the bag with Edge’s clothing. “so what did you mean, then?” he asked softly. 

Maybe he really had misunderstood?

“I didn’t mean  _ your _ scent specifically. I meant your ‘verse. On days when visibility is low due to snowstorms, many of us rely on scent to do our jobs and find our ways around. Not to mention the dogs I work with; If I don’t smell like myself, I am only inviting needless trouble.”

Rus hadn’t thought of that. He sucked in a breath and let Edge’s words sink in.

“I have no issues with you borrowing my things or your scent specifically, but I do have quite an issue with someone trying to kill me because they didn’t bother to check me before drawing a weapon.”

Why hadn’t he thought of any of that? He knew how dangerous Edge’s job could be. While Edge himself didn’t talk much about being the Captain of the Royal Guard in a ‘Fell ‘verse, Razz did. Granted, their ‘verses were a bit different, but not so much so that Edge didn’t face some of the same dangers Razz did.

“i’m sorry, edge.”

“No, this is my fault. You asked me to explain myself, and I didn’t. I do appreciate you giving me the opportunity to do it now.” 

Rus laughed a little. “yeah, sure. hey, um...are we...okay? i mean, i kinda stormed off all pissed, but i don’t wanna…” 

He wasn’t sure how to explain himself. He wanted to make sure that he and Edge would continue to be friends, but he also wanted to know if there was any chance Edge might want to hang out again sometime. Despite the mix-up, he’d had a good time.

“I’d like us to be okay. Perhaps we can give it another shot?”

“hey, if you’re offering to cook again, my answer is a resounding hell yes.”

Edge chuckled. “Well then, I suppose I’m cooking again. It will have to wait until next week.”

Rus snorted. “aw, damn, not next week. that’s too long. i’ll starve. can’t you hear me wasting away as we speak?”

“Yes, you’re nothing but skin and bone. Without the skin.”

They both laughed a little before a semi comfortable silence fell over them. Rus could hardly believe the roller coaster they’d just experienced, but he was damn happy they’d come out of it relatively unscathed. 

“thanks, edge,” he said softly. 

“For what?”

“for calling. for talking to me. for agreeing to feed me again. take your pick.” He laid back on his bed and stared at the ceiling for a moment. “for not letting my bullshit push us apart.”

He could hear the smile in Edge’s voice as he replied. “I’m hardly one to judge anyone on their bullshit as I’ve got plenty of my own. Thank you for giving me a chance to mend our...friendship.”

The hesitation before the last word was perplexing, but Rus didn’t comment. Their friendship was tentative at best and still in its infancy. 

“sure thing, edgelord.”

“I’ll see you on Saturday?”

Rus smiled. “yep.”

“I look forward to it.”

They said their goodbyes, and Rus let his phone rest on his chest as he sighed and stared silently at the ceiling for a while longer. 

He was happy. Their communication could obviously use some work; they couldn’t read each other like Rus could read Sans or Slim. Red was always an anomaly, but he was easiest to read when he was angry. 

He made a promise to himself that he would do better. He hoped Edge did the same, but he could push a little harder for an explanation if his assumptions would take them back to how they were before. 

With a happy sigh, he got up and went to go talk to Blue. His bro was worried about him, had probably already called Edge to demand answers. He deserved to know why Rus had come home as he had, and that things were okay. 

* * *

Friday afternoon found Rus at Muffet’s. He chatted with old friends, ate greasy food that satisfied some comfort craving in his soul, and overall enjoyed being out of the house for a minute. 

He honestly couldn’t believe he actually thought it, but he was looking forward to going back to work the next week. 

An hour before he would leave to get home in time to see Blue return from work, a hand rested on Rus’ shoulder. 

He looked over with a smile, expecting one of his friends. 

Just as he met Red’s eye lights, he realized that the place had gone quiet. It wasn’t hard to tell why. 

It wasn’t uncommon for Red to exude an air of anger about him. He had issues, it was a fact. Most of the time, he was pretty good at tempering those issues, either through Slim’s drugs or his brother’s influence. As he stood next to Rus, however, his eye lights glowing a dangerous crimson and his grin turned up into something damn near maniacal, it wasn’t hard to tell he was downright seething.

“hey, red,” Rus said in a tone he hoped was jovial. “what’s up?”

Red’s hand squeezed tight on his shoulder, enough to make Rus wince.

“have a minute?” Red growled. “need a word wit’ ya.”

Even if he didn’t actually have a minute, there was no mistaking that Rus didn’t have a choice. Instead of pointing that out, he nodded and got up. 

“Rus?” Muffet stepped up to him, a concerned gleam in her many eyes.

Rus waved her concern away. No matter how pissed Red was, he wouldn’t actually hurt him. 

“i’ll be fine, muff. just gonna chat with an old friend.” He turned and shrugged Red’s hand off before shoving his hands in his hoodie and making his way outside. 

As they rounded the corner to the side of the building, Red grabbed his arm and tugged, all but dragging him around to the back where they wouldn’t be interrupted. There, he shoved Rus up against a wall, gripped the front of his hoodie and pulled down, forcing Rus to fall to his knees in the snow.

“the fuck did i tell ya ‘bout fuckin’ ‘round wit’ my bro?” Red snarled, his eye lights flaring dangerously. 

Rus sputtered, grasping at Red’s hands in an attempt to keep him from choking him. He’d never actually been afraid of Red before, but this was new. Rus was a decent fighter; he had a manageable hold on his magic and could stand up to most people in his ‘verse. However, he hadn’t been doing it since he was a kid like Red had. Red would undoubtedly kick his ass six ways from Sunday. 

“i don’t know what the fuck you’re talking about!” he gasped. 

Red growled, deep and threatening. “you know. you got ‘im all confused an’ shit, an’e don’t like it. i told you, loud and fuckin’ clear, that you ain’t allowed to tease my bro. he ain’t your fuckin’ toy.”

“i’m not teasing anyone, red. what the hell did he tell you?”

He tried again to push Red’s hands off of him and get up. Red snarled and pushed him back, straddling his knees as he bent Rus backward until his upper back and head hit the wall behind him. 

Rus gasped, seriously considering calling out for help. 

“he didn’t need ta tell me nothin’. i heard ‘im talkin’ ta your bro this mornin’.”

Rus remembered hearing Blue talking to someone. He hadn’t listened in, couldn’t recall the tone of his voice. 

“i swear, red, i am not playing games with edge. i genuinely want him to be my friend.”

For some reason, that was the wrong thing to say. Red’s right hand crept up to Rus’ throat and squeezed, just this side of too tight. 

“you want my bro to be your friend? what kind of friend, rus? huh? what the hell kind of person flirts around with their buddy’s feelings like this? edge ain’t in’erested in no fuck buddy, no matter what he says. he ain’t got the soul for it. you fuck wit’ him like that, he ends up hurt. he ends up hurt, you end up hurt. got me?”

Rus was honestly confused. He hadn’t been flirting with anyone, had no intentions of trying to fuck Edge or anyone else for that matter.

Before he could say anything to try to talk Red down, someone came around the corner. 

“What in the world is going on here?” 

Rus managed to turn his head enough to see a young Bun mother shielding the eyes of her little son. 

Red didn’t back away. He didn’t loosen his hand. “ain’t none’a yer business, lady,” he said menacingly. “get yer kiddo outta here.” 

She didn’t budge. She did, however, send her son back around the building. 

“I think it is my business. Rus is my friend, and I’m not going to stand by while you hurt him.”

Red chuckled, dark and deep, before finally backing away. He let his sharp fingertips scratch Rus’ cervical vertebrae on the way, making Rus gasp. 

“you don’t know what kind’a fire yer playin’ wit’ here, lady,” Red said. 

Rus scrambled to his feet and put himself between Red and Bonnie, back to the wall so he could see the both of them. He didn’t dare put his back to Red. 

“i’m okay,” he said quickly, glancing at Bonnie.

Bonnie gave him a look. “Rus, I know you. That was not what either of us would call ‘okay’.”

Yeah, she wasn’t wrong. He still couldn’t risk Red hurting her. She had been a good friend to him for many years. 

Just then, the crunching of boots in the snow signaled someone else’s arrival. 

Blue came around the corner. Red’s anger seemed to simmer down to manageable. 

“fuck,” he mumbled under his breath, shoving his hands in the pockets of his jacket. 

“Red, what the hell are you doing?” Blue shouted. “What gives you the right to come here and harass my brother?”

Oh, he was pissed. 

“Never mind that. Thank you, Bonnie, for sending your son to get me. I can take it from here.”

Bonnie nodded and gave Rus a glance that told him to call her later and let her know he was okay. He nodded back, and she ushered her son away. 

“You are both coming home with me, and we’re going to talk about this. Red, if you so much as touch my brother again, you will lose those claws of yours. If you doubt me, just remember that I have your brother on speed dial.”

Without another word, Blue grabbed Red’s jacket sleeve and pushed him ahead of the other two. It was almost comical the way he grumbled but still led the way back to their place. 

Somehow, Rus doubted that Edge knew anything about his brother’s activities. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like many of the skellies, there's no better way to raise Red's hackles than to mess with his bro. Even if Rus isn't aware he's doing it.


	11. Epiphanies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have read over and edited this chapter like five times now and I still don't love it. There's something about it that just...I dunno. I hope it's just me being too close to my writing.
> 
> Enjoy?

The three skeletons filed into the house silently except for Red’s occasional grumble. He was acting pretty sour over having been caught, and part of Rus really wanted to call Edge just to tattle because he knew how pissed he would be. 

He didn’t. Instead, he let his brother take control of the situation. 

“Okay, Red, you can sit there,” he pointed at the far end of the couch, “and Rus, you can take the recliner. I will take this end of the couch so I can be between you two.” 

Rus sat down, folding his legs under him and tucking his hands into his hoodie pocket. While he wasn’t exactly eager to spend much more time in the same room as Red, he was interested to know what the hell had gotten into him. 

Blue glared at Red when he didn’t sit down. Red glared back for a solid two minutes before he finally gave in with a growl. He collapsed on the couch and glared up at the ceiling. Blue nodded to himself and took his seat. 

“Now, I am going to try to be as unbiased as I can. Obviously I’m no judge, but neither of you are in a position to be fair about this.”

“ain’t no such thing as a fair judgement where i’m from,” Red said.

Rus hadn’t been called on to judge in so long that he barely remembered how it felt. Regardless, it was instinct as much as it was a learned skill, and just thinking about how they worked in a ‘Fell ‘verse was enough to give him the shivers. 

“That’s neither here nor there,” Blue replied. “Right now, I will do my best to be fair. Let’s start with why you came here today, Red. Please explain that to me.”

Red growled. “i don’t gotta explain nothin’.”

Blue sighed. “Don’t make this hard on yourself, please.”

Red sat up then, a dangerous gleam in his eye lights. He reached up and fingered the thick, studded collar around his neck. 

“why? whatcha gonna do? couldn’t hurt me even if ya had it in ya.”

Rus watched closely, leaning forward in his seat as he tried to anticipate any movement Red might make to hurt Blue. Edge would forgive him for protecting his bro. 

Instead of backing off or being intimidated in any way, Blue leaned in closer to Red. 

“Do you really think I don’t know how collars work? That won’t prevent me from doing anything, and you know it. All it means is that I would have to answer to Edge, and at this point, I’m fairly certain he would be on my side.”

Rus expected Red’s anger to flare, expected him to lunge for Blue or throw an attack, something. Instead, he sat back against the arm of the couch and chuckled. 

“not so sure ‘bout ‘im bein’ on yer side, sweetheart, but ya got my number on the collar.” He gave Blue a wink. 

Blue rolled his eye lights. “Back to the matter at hand. Tell me why you came here today.”

Red’s grin fell into a snarl. He sat up again, fixing his feral gaze on Rus. “cuz yer bro here’s a fuckin’ dumbass who don’t know how to take a fuckin’ warning.”

“i didn’t do anything!” Rus said, huffing out a grumble.

“What warning are you talking about?” Blue asked, not even glancing at Rus. 

“tha one where i told ‘im i’d fuck ‘im up real good if he messed wit’ edge. he ain’t nobody’s plaything, an’ i ain’t about lettin’ my bro get jerked around like that.”

Rus had the urge to argue, to defend himself, but he held back and trusted his brother to mediate. 

Still, Blue didn’t look at him. “And why do you think my brother is messing with Edge? What happened?”

Red growled at that. “you should fuckin’ know! you were on the phone wit’ ‘im this mornin’.”

“Yes, I was. Nothing about our conversation indicated that Papy was doing anything to tease your brother.”

Rus couldn’t help but cast a smug look at Red, even though he didn’t so much as glance back. 

“the fuck you mean? i heard ‘im!”

“What did you hear?”

Instead of answering, Red clammed up. He shoved his hands in his jacket pockets and grumbled softly to himself. 

“what did he say, bro?” Rus asked, entirely too curious about this conversation. 

He noticed Red look up in interest. 

Blue shook his head. “It was a private talk, and I won’t betray Edge’s confidence like that. I do think that we need to bring him into this conversation, however.”

Rus nodded, but he felt a flutter of anxiety ripple through his soul. Red had heard something he didn’t like, and there were too many possibilities that Rus couldn’t even begin to try to narrow it down. 

Red groaned. “he don’t need ta be dragged into this shit.”

Blue huffed and gave him a look. “He absolutely does! You accosted my brother over something you only thought you heard. If it were the other way around, I sure hope someone would call me.”

When Rus had cornered Razz, made thinly-veiled threats, Blue had been called to straighten things out and convince Rus that he’d consented to everything that had happened. 

Blue had been miffed, disappointed even, that Rus had gone behind his back to confront his lover instead of asking him outright. 

Red growled again when Blue took out his phone, but he made no move to try to grasp it away or stop Blue from dialing. 

Rus listened as Blue left a message for Edge to come over when he got off work, and also that Red was with them so not to worry about him. It was a little comical the way Red’s cheekbones flushed as Blue finished the call. 

“Alright, since I don’t want you two in the same room together, Red, you’re going to stay with me where I can keep an eye on you. You can also help me make dinner. Papy, you’re welcome to do whatever you like.”

“why’s he allowed to do shit ‘n’ i ain’t?” Red complained. 

Blue scoffed. “He’s not the one who went to another universe to attack someone, now is he?”

Red grumbled again. 

Rus sure as shit didn’t see what the hell Sans saw in him. To each their own, he supposed. 

He got up and nodded a thanks at Blue before teleporting to his bedroom. A nap sounded great right about now. He slipped out of his shoes and emptied his hoodie pocket onto the bedside table before flopping down on the lumpy mattress. 

As he lay there, he stared at the ceiling and contemplated the upcoming conversation. He couldn’t deny that he was looking forward to seeing Edge before movie night. Especially if he headed over right after work, still wearing his uniform. He looked nice in that uniform.

Then again, he’d probably shower and change to limit Rus’ exposure to Underfell dust. That was alright; it meant Edge would be in more casual clothing like jeans and a sweater. Maybe even that red sweater he’d been wearing after their water fight a few days ago. He’d looked really nice in that. 

Why was he even thinking about that? He sucked in a breath and closed his eyes, willing thoughts of Edge’s undoubtedly pleasant appearance away. 

Instead, he thought of what might be said. Had Edge been upset about something Rus said or did? And why had he talked to Blue about it before coming to him? Had he even planned on coming to him? 

There was a reason for it, Rus was sure. With their communication pitfalls, maybe Edge was asking for Blue’s advice on how to approach him with a concern. That made sense. 

But what would the concern be? Perhaps it was about their communication skills; it would make sense for Edge to be unsure of how to ask Rus to communicate better, especially when he needed to do the same. 

Or, maybe it was about how close Rus had gotten to him during their time spent together. He had surely pushed the boundaries of Edge’s personal bubble. It wouldn’t be too surprising to find out if he’d come close to popping the damn thing. It also made sense that Edge would be unsure of how to address that with Rus. 

It made him sad to think it, not because he wanted to be able to get close (although he did; Edge smelled nice) but because he didn’t want to make Edge uncomfortable. 

Rus sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. He’d just have to wait. He could think on it all night, mull over a thousand possibilities, and probably still never guess the right problem. 

To get his mind off the topic of Edge, Rus rolled to his side and picked up his phone. He’d spend some time  playing games or watching videos on the Undernet and hope that Red was learning a valuable lesson downstairs.

* * *

An hour later, Blue knocked on Rus’ door and announced that Edge had arrived. 

Rus rolled out of bed to his feet and stuffed his phone in his hoodie pocket before teleporting downstairs. 

Edge was standing in the middle of the living room wearing a pair of dark jeans and a crimson cable knit sweater. The sleeves had been pulled up to his elbows, and Rus found himself staring at Edge’s forearms for a second. He had his hands on his hips as he glared at his brother. 

Red was on the couch looking a little ashamed of himself yet doing his damndest not to let Edge’s glare get to him. 

“hey,” Rus mumbled, raising his hand in an awkward wave. 

Edge nodded at him, his posture relaxing. “Hello. I hear you had an unpleasant encounter with my brother today.”

He scoffed. “that’s putting it mildly.”

“What did he do?”

Blue came in then and put himself between Rus and Red sitting on the couch. “Let’s discuss that after dinner?” he asked.

Edge nodded again, and they all went into the dining room to eat. Conversation was kept light, Edge and Blue doing most of the talking. 

After dinner, they moved back to the living room. Rus took the recliner again, crossing his legs as he’d done earlier. He was satisfied when Edge sat between Red and Blue. 

Blue sucked in a deep breath. “Okay. First thing’s first, Rus, why don’t you explain what Red did to you when he got here?”

Rus nodded and recounted the events. 

“i don’t know what the hell he was going on about, but apparently he thought i was gonna hurt you or something.”

Edge glared at Red, the kind of glare that promised they’d talk about it in more detail later, and Red shrunk in on himself slightly.

Blue clenched and unclenched his fists for a moment while taking deep breaths before he continued. “Okay. Earlier, Red, you mentioned that you had overheard part of my conversation with Edge this morning and that was what had prompted you to come out here. Do you have anything else to say now that your brother is here?”

Red scoffed. “i don’t get why we’re doin’ any ‘a this.”

Edge growled, deep and threatening. “What the hell could you have heard?”

Red sat up straight. “you said ‘e was fuckin’ wit’ yer head!” he shouted, pointing at Rus. “said ya didn’ know what ta do ‘bout it! well, bro, i took care’a it for ya. he ain’t gonna fuck wit’ ya no more.”

Rus looked at Edge for a long moment, watched as he leaned forward and pressed his face into his hands and shook his head.

“That wasn’t at all what I said,” he said softly, almost a whisper. 

“like hell it ain’t,” Red bit back. “i fuckin’ heard ya.”

“No, you heard bits of pieces of a conversation and filled in the gaps yourself without talking to me first. Which, by the way, you really should have done. You came here and threatened my friend-- _ our _ friend--for absolutely no reason.” 

“then what the hell didja mean, huh? i heard the fuckin’ words come outta yer mouth that ‘e was fuckin’ wit’ ya.”

Edge sighed and glanced at Rus for a second before shifting his gaze to the carpet. 

Whatever it was, he didn’t want Rus to know. The thought kind of hurt, but he could understand if it was something that might cause an argument between them. 

He cleared his throat. “d’you want me to leave?” he asked hesitantly. 

Blue reached out immediately, settling a hand on his knee. “No, Papy. Stay.” he then looked over at Edge. “Now would be a really good time.”

Edge huffed. “Now is a horrible time.”

“Well, it’s only the four of us here. I already know, and it’s probably a good idea if Red knows. If you were to wait until tomorrow like we talked about on the phone, it would be all eight of us and you’d have to find somewhere quiet.”

Rus was so confused. He almost wanted to ask what the hell was going on, but he figured he’d find out soon enough. 

Edge groaned and sat back against the couch cushions, his arms hanging loose at his sides and his face turned up to the ceiling. It was almost hilarious seeing this usually stoic person briefly lose his calm in a childish way. 

“hey!” Red shouted, snapping his fingers in Rus’ direction. 

Rus sat up straight, the smile he was unaware of falling into a shocked frown. “what the hell?”

“quit starin’ at my bro like that. he ain’t fuckin’ dessert.”

He hadn’t been doing anything! What, he couldn’t even look at the guy anymore?

“Red, calm the fuck down,” Edge grumbled. “Even if he were looking at me like that, it wouldn’t be unwelcome.”

“what?” Both Red and Rus asked at the same time, twin expressions of stunned curiosity on their faces. 

Edge sat up then, leaning forward to rest his elbows on his knees. His hands clasped together between them. 

“What you heard me say, Red, was that the  _ situation  _ was fucking with my head and that I wasn’t sure how to deal with it.” He stared down at his hands, flexing his fingers as though he were actually anxious about something. “I wasn’t sure if Rus was trying to flirt with me or if I was imagining things because it was what I wanted. I attempted to flirt, but I don’t know if he even caught on.”

He looked up, glancing at Rus for a moment before he looked back down and sighed. 

Edge had tried to flirt with him? When? Where the hell was he?

As he tried to think over their interactions at lunch a few days ago, Red sat up straighter. 

“wait a goddamn fucking second. you actually like the fucker?”

“Yes, that’s what I just said.”

“how? why? he treated you like shit, always diggin’ an’ pokin’ at things that hurt ya.”

Before Rus could even try to defend himself, Edge growled again. 

“And now we’re trying to move past that. Neither of us were very nice to each other, Red. I wasn’t a blameless victim; I never have been.”

“yeah, but--”

“But nothing. It’s not your place to decide what’s best for me. It hasn’t been your place for years now, and I will not tolerate you telling me who I can and cannot be interested in. We’ll discuss this more at home.”

As Edge stood up, Rus found himself admiring his long legs in those pants of his. Several things clicked into place all at once. 

Edge’s expression when Rus had asked what he’d done to deserve someone like Edge. He thought Edge had been uncomfortable because of his closeness, but now under a new light he could see that he’d just been flustered. 

Edge taking the day off to spend time with Rus so he didn’t have to rush him back home after they ate. It had been a kind gesture that Rus hadn’t thought of much at the time, mainly because he didn’t believe it had been done for him. Edge had done it for him, though. He knew that now. 

Edge holding his hands as he explained that he wanted to get to know the real Rus. The expression on his face had been so open, soft and encouraging, sweet even. 

All the times Rus had thought about how cute Edge’s blush was or how strong he was or how attractive he was when he showed a little bone. Scarred as he was, Rus saw it as a sign of his strength. 

_ Holy mother of shitballs.  _

Did he have a crush on Edge? 

“I suspect we’ll need to talk about this more tomorrow,” Edge said, suddenly standing right in front of Rus.

Rus looked up and tried not to notice his blush or how nice he looked in that sweater. 

He swallowed and nodded. “yeah, probably.”

Edge held out a hand, and Rus took it. “I’ll see you then.”

Rus squeezed his fingers and nodded. “okay.”

Edge turned then and grabbed Red by the scruff of his jacket and led him out the door.

He sat there on the recliner long after Edge and Red left, thinking about what had just happened and everything he’d learned.

He’d had crushes before. They were always fleeting things, just a simple attraction that ended after a few weeks, sometimes after he’d slept with the person. 

Somehow, he couldn’t see Edge having simple crushes like that. He was a dedicated kind of guy; he didn’t seem interested in flings. 

That meant Rus was going to have to do some self-reflection and figure out what the hell he wanted. He couldn’t tell Edge that he had a crush only to take it back a few weeks down the line. He couldn’t ask to sleep with him just to see if he was still attracted afterward. 

“Are you okay, Brother?” Blue asked as he sat down on the couch. “You look a little shell-shocked.”

Rus looked up, realizing then that Blue had done all the work to clean up dinner while he was thinking. 

“yeah, i’m good. sorry, bro, you should have said something; i would have helped.”

Blue waved a hand at his concern. “Don’t worry about it. You have a lot on your mind.”

“no shit. what do i do?”

“That depends on how you feel,” Blue said, shrugging. “How  _ do  _ you feel about this?”

Rus sucked in a deep breath and let it out slowly. “to be honest, i don’t even know.”

Blue nodded. “I’ve been watching you two interact for a while now, and it’s only gotten more obvious that there’s something between you. I think the others can see it, too.”

Sans’ questions and comments made a hell of a lot more sense now. 

“so what do i do? i mean, i know i gotta figure shit out, but where do i even start?” 

Blue got up and pulled Rus into a hug. “Just listen to your soul, Brother. Pay attention to it when you see him. I know you and your fleeting romances, but I also know that you wouldn’t hurt Edge. Not like that.”

Rus nodded and hugged his brother tighter. “yeah, you’re right.”

It seemed he had some introspection to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know a lot of you were hoping for like a big thing between Edge and Red, but I just couldn't see that happening. Edge has too much control to yell at his brother like that in someone else's home. Once they get back to Underfell, however, it's gonna get ugly. 
> 
> There's a part of me that really wants to write that, but I know it wouldn't be long enough to be a full chapter, and I really also want to keep this one in Rus' POV. So, if I do write it, it will be posted under Delirium. Let me know if you'd be interested in that.


	12. Reciprocated

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever written a scene for a later chapter and then realized when you finally got there that it doesn't fit as well as you'd hoped it would? Yeah, that happened. I had a good majority of this chapter written already, and most of it fit, but I had to tweak a few things to make it work. I think I managed. 
> 
> Anyhow, I like how this turned out, and I'm excited for this chapter. Enjoy!
> 
> Also! In case you missed it, I posted Edge and Red's talk after they went home, so check out Delirium ch2 if you wanna read it!

One thing was certain: Rus didn’t want to hurt Edge. It was really the only thing he was sure of at the moment. 

Actually, that wasn’t really true, was it? He was sure of a lot of things, in fact. First, he didn’t want to lose their friendship. He’d worked hard at getting past their beginnings, and he knew Edge had as well. 

He was also very sure that Edge was smoking hot. Ever since realizing he had developed a crush, just thinking about him had Rus’ soul fluttering like it was trying to escape his rib cage. It was embarrassing. 

To add to the list of things Rus was astonishingly sure of, he couldn’t wait to see Edge again, although the prospect of speaking to him was terrifying in a way Rus had never experienced before. He wanted to spend time with Edge alone again, to get close to him and have his scent waft over him like a comforting blanket.

He’d felt Edge’s arms around him a few times now, but never with the intent to hold him. Instead, it was always as a way to help him. He wanted to know what it might be like to snuggle with Edge, maybe even give him a little kiss.

He wanted to see Edge smile more often, wanted to be the reason for it. Anything from big grins to soft, secret smiles; he wanted to see it. He was also pretty damn sure Edge’s blush could cure the common cold. 

The thing was, Rus didn’t know what to do with all of that. 

A part of him wanted to ask Edge out and just see where it went, but there were too many ways he could fuck that up. 

He wasn’t afraid of Red. Even though Rus didn’t really know what it was like to suffer a bad breakup, he did know all too well the pain that went with feeling betrayed and forgotten by those he thought he could trust. If he ever made Edge feel that way, he’d kick his own ass. 

Saturday afternoon, as Blue worked in the kitchen to prepare a salad to go with the night’s dinner, Rus wandered in and sat down at the table. 

“hey, bro.” 

Blue smiled at him. “Hello, Papy!” he greeted cheerfully. “How are you feeling?”

Rus sighed. “i’m not sure i’m qualified to answer that question.”

His brother chuckled and placed a cutting board in front of him. He got up to wash his hands, prepared to help however he could. He wasn’t a chef by any means, but he could damn well chop a vegetable. 

“Have you thought about what you might want to say to Edge tonight?” Blue asked as he set a few freshly peeled carrots and a knife by the cutting board. 

“probably too much.” Rus dried his hands and returned to the table to start arranging the carrots, lining them up to meet their fate. “how do you want these?”

“Surprise me. The only stipulation is that they must be bite sized for everyone, including Slim. You know how he likes small bites.”

Small it was then. He got to chopping, paying enough attention to make sure he didn’t accidentally cut himself. “what does it mean if i want to snuggle close to him, see him blush and hear him laugh, but i’m not sure if i want to sleep with him? i mean, he’d probably be really good in bed, but...sorry.”

Blue’s cheeks were bright with a blush, and Rus winced at the idea of talking about sex.

But Blue cleared his throat and waved away the concern as he stirred together a dressing to go over the salad. “Nonsense! We’re both adults, neither of us are virgins, and if you need to talk things out, then I’m happy to listen.”

He had a point. Still, he knew exactly how he would feel if his bro started talking about what Razz was like between the sheets. No thank you.

“the point is that i think i might wanna take things slow with him. is that weird?” He’d never wanted a relationship, never thought about what it might feel like to fall in love, but with Edge...he kind of wanted to know.

“That’s not weird at all, Papy. Just because long relationships were never your thing before doesn’t mean that can’t change. You know what Edge is like, but you don’t know his relationship preferences. My advice? Take it as it goes. Be honest with him; don’t try to tell him that you want a long relationship when you’re not sure.”

Rus nodded. “okay.” 

Blue took the chopped carrots and stirred them in with lettuce and other veggies before setting it aside and putting a lid on the dressing. 

“What are you planning to wear tonight?”

Rus looked down at himself. He was wearing his usual hoodie over a lime green t-shirt and a pair of khaki cargo shorts. 

“uh...this?”

Blue sighed disapprovingly. “No, you’re not.”

“why not?”

The look his brother gave him was probably an answer, but Rus still didn’t understand. 

“if edge isn’t familiar with my fashion sense yet, he’s helpless.”

“Okay, you have a point there, but don’t you want to make a good impression?” Blue finished putting the bowls in a bag and turned to face Rus, settling his hands on his hips. “You’re going to be talking to Edge about how you both like each other. I’m willing to bet he’s going to dress nicely for you.”

The thought was a shot to Rus’ soul. Edge always looked nice, but now Rus was eager to find out if Blue was right. The idea of giving Edge a similar experience, showing him that Rus could dress nicely if so inspired, was enough to agree with Blue. 

“is this what normal people think about when they’re getting dressed?”

Blue snorted. “You say that like you’re not normal. You’re fine, Brother. Now, let’s go figure out what you’re going to wear.”

As the two made their way up to Rus’ room, he made a mental note to grab the bag with Edge’s clothes before they left. 

* * *

Edge and Red hadn’t shown up yet when Rus and Blue got to Sans’ place. Papyrus let them in with as much enthusiasm as ever, pulling Rus into a hug hard enough to crush ribs as he spouted compliments on his choice of attire. 

Blue and his salad followed Papyrus into the kitchen, and Rus went out to the living room to spend time with Sans, Slim, and Razz. 

“dude, what the hell are you wearing?” Sans asked. 

Slim smirked but didn’t say anything. Razz looked him over proudly. 

“You’ve developed a sense of fashion overnight! That’s nice. Will you talk to Slim about your methods?”

Slim scowled at his brother and Rus chuckled as he sat down next to Sans. 

“my brother is my method. he said i had to look nice tonight.” He decided not to say why. 

It probably wouldn’t have mattered. A few minutes later, Red and Edge showed up. Red was dressed typically in his red and black jacket and probably dirty dark shorts, but Edge had gone overboard. 

He was basically dressed in a suit with black slacks and a black jacket over a crimson button up and a black tie. Rus had never seen him so dressed up, and it was pure luck that kept his jaw hinged to his skull. 

“i think someone’s got a hot date,” Slim whispered, probably to Sans, but Rus heard him loud and clear. 

So did Edge. His eye lights, the same shade as his shirt but so much fiercer, met Rus’ with some kind of demand. Rus didn’t understand what was trying to be communicated, but there was certainly something there. 

“uh...excuse me,” he said softly and got up. Better to just ask than to assume it could wait. He did his best to ignore Sans’ chuckle. 

He also ignored Red’s glare. The pea-sized gremlin wasn’t going to ruin this for his little brother, and that was a fact. 

Just before Rus could reach them and ask Edge what was up, Papyrus came out from the kitchen to greet the newest arrivals. 

“Oh my!” Papyrus crowed. “You look so nice, Edgy-Me!" His eye lights flickered between Edge and Rus for a second. "Is there a special occasion? Because if there were, I definitely already know about it and should change immediately.”

Edge caught his arm before he could get too far. “No, Papyrus. There’s no occasion; I simply felt like bringing this out of my closet again as it’s been a while since it’s been worn.”

Rus could feel himself smiling. No occasion. Right. It was just the night the two of them would be figuring out what they wanted from each other. 

“Yes, of course. I knew that.”  

“Of course you did,” Edge agreed. “How is dinner coming along? Whatever it is smells lovely.”

Papyrus grinned. “It’s great! And yes, it does smell good doesn’t it? I’d better get back to cooking. Make yourselves comfortable!”

Edge nodded and they both watched Papyrus scramble down the hall. 

Rus turned to look at Edge and met his gaze. He swallowed and took a small step closer. Red had already escaped to the living room, but Rus could feel his eye lights glaring holes in the back of his shirt. 

“should we, uh, talk now or wait?” Rus asked. 

“Now.” Edge reached out to grip Rus gently by the elbow and led him through the living room toward the tiny room under the stairs that served as  storeroom at Rus’ place. 

Here, Papyrus had converted it to a small spare bedroom in case any of their guests needed a place to sleep for a night or two, or if anyone was too drunk after movie nights to go home safely. 

Rus tried not to think of the others watching them, their guesses possibly ranging from a fight to a fuck, but only Red would know what was actually going on. 

Even if Sans did suspect they might be getting freaky in his house, he didn’t say anything to stop them. 

Once in the room, Edge shut and locked the door. 

“Who did you tell?” he asked, his brow furrowed as he took a step back to put space between them. 

Rus blinked. “nobody.”

“And yet they think we’re here for a date?” He sounded unconvinced. 

Rus sighed. “think whatever you want, edgelord, i didn’t say anything to them. but, you know, when a guy like me shows up dressed like i am and a guy like you shows up one step down from a damn tux, people are bound to be suspicious. which, by the way, you look really nice. and i brought your clothes back.”

Edge nodded. “Thank you. For the clothing and the compliment. You...actually look very nice as well. I wouldn’t have thought you owned a shirt like that.”

Rus looked down at himself, his cheekbones heating a bit. The outfit he’d settled on was a pair of jeans that fit snugly but certainly not tightly, and pale orange button up with the sleeves rolled halfway up to his elbows. Blue had tried to get him to button up to the collar and wear a tie, but Rus was adamant that ties were reserved the queen alone and that was only because she was royalty and he had no choice. 

“yeah, thanks. i haven’t worn it since...uh...well, we don’t wanna talk about work.” 

Edge knew about Rus playing judge for the queen. It was one of the very few things he didn’t dig at, possibly due to his own brother’s experiences at the same gig. 

“No, we don’t. Have you thought much about last night?” He stood straight and still with his hands together behind him as if this was some kind of business meeting. 

Rus snorted. “oh yeah. maybe too much, but i don’t know what to do.” He clasped his hands together, wringing his fingers together over his chest, wishing he had something to fiddle with or his hoodie that he could slip his hands into. 

“What do you mean?”

He shrugged. He found it was much harder than he thought it should be to tell Edge what he was feeling. He opened his mouth and shut it a few times before he finally sucked in a breath and spit it out.

“i mean, i’ve got this crush, right? and i wanna give this whole thing a shot, but i’m pretty shit at having crushes and i don’t wanna hurt you. but i also kinda wanna kiss you? but then what if we try this and i fuck it up and you hate me again?”  He couldn’t meet Edge’s eye lights; couldn’t look him in the face. Instead, he kept his gaze down at their feet.  “i really don’t want you to hate me again,” he said softly.

He was starting to feel a little overwhelmed, like no matter what he chose to do now would be the wrong thing. He could ask Edge to wait. Let him think this over and make sure it was what he wanted. But what if he waited too long? What if Edge thought him asking to wait was more playing with his feelings? He could fuck this up so easily. One wrong move and Edge would hate him again.

A soft pressure on his shoulder made him look up to see Edge standing before him, his hand reaching out. 

“Rus, you’re overthinking things again. I don’t want to go back to how we were either, and I think you’re underestimating my own feelings on this matter. I don’t think I  _ could  _ go back to hating you.”

Rus scoffed. “wanna bet?”

That was the wrong thing to say. He could see it in the way Edge’s eye lights constricted and his sockets narrowed. He swallowed and shook his head.

“no, sorry, i didn’t mean that.”

Edge sighed. “If bets didn’t usually turn bloody where I’m from, I would bet you on this. Still, this is getting off topic too quickly. You said you might want to kiss me? I definitely want to kiss you. l’d be...interested in something more than friends, if that was something you might want.” He sounded so damn hopeful, and it made Rus’ soul ache with nausea. 

He could lean in and kiss Edge. He could do it right now and he’d probably accept it. It would be too easy to hurt him, no matter how hard Rus tried not to.

Rus nodded and sucked in a breath. “what if i’m not sure?”

Edge undoubtedly tried to hide his disappointment, but Rus saw a flicker of it in his eye lights. It only served to make him more nervous about making the wrong decision. 

His hand tightened just slightly on Rus’ shoulder as he took a deep breath. “I don’t mean to put any pressure on you. Please understand that. But a moment ago, when you said you…” He trailed off and shook his head. “Never mind. If you’re not sure, then you’re not sure.”

He let his hand drop and took a step back. Rus felt sick. “i’m sorry.”

“There’s nothing to be sorry for, Rus.”

Fuck, he hated this. He was in a goddamn minefield and there was nowhere safe to step. He was pretty sure at this point that no matter what he did, he was going to fuck up. He’d had a chance, just a moment ago, and he’d wasted it.

He should have just kissed Edge. He should have just shoved himself forward and claimed their first kiss when Edge said he wanted it. 

So instead of making any other decisions, he pushed himself into Edge, wrapped his arms around his shoulders, and pressed their mouths together before he could talk himself out of it. 

Edge froze, but only for a second. All too soon, Rus was shoved away. His mouth caught a bad angle on Edge’s teeth, and he gasped as their sharpness bit into his.

“What are you doing?” Edge demanded. He almost sounded angry. 

Rus stepped back, keeping his head bowed so Edge didn’t see the scratch on his mouth as he licked at the marrow beading from it. 

“i’m sorry,” he said softly. 

“That doesn’t tell me what you’re doing. Don’t kiss me if you’re not sure what you want.” His tone was bordering on disgusted. Rus couldn’t blame him for that. 

“what i want is for us to be okay,” Rus finally said. “i want to still be friends if something more doesn’t work out.” He looked up then to see Edge’s face. 

Edge looked at him, his expression unreadable. “If something more doesn’t work out,” he repeated blandly. “So you’re saying that you’ve already decided any relationship we attempt will end in a breakup?”

Rus had never felt so small. “what if it does?”

“I don’t know, Rus! What if it doesn’t? What if we try and it works out? Did you even consider that possibility?”

“look at us, edge,” Rus said pitifully. “we haven’t even decided to start dating and we’re already fighting. i don't know how i'm going to feel about you in two weeks, let alone a year from now. i mean, i know i want to be friends no matter what happens, but you don't seem like a one-time kind'a guy.”

Edge clenched his jaw a few times, looking over Rus for a moment. Then suddenly, his expression changed. His sockets widened and his jaw went slack. 

Rus was about to ask what was wrong when Edge stormed forward and took his chin to make him look up. 

“I hurt you?” he said, his voice soft and worried.

“it was an accident.” 

Rus licked at the small wound again. Edge’s eye lights darted to his tongue and flared a little wider. Maybe that wasn’t the best idea.

“Perhaps, but I should have been more careful.” He met Rus’ eye lights again. It may have been Rus’ imagination, but he was almost certain Edge was breathing just a little harder. “Would you be upset if I asked to heal it?”

His brow furrowed. “no, of course not. i mean, i wouldn’t be upset. you can heal it if you want to.” It’d be gone in a few hours anyway, but he really didn’t want Edge feeling guilty about it.

Edge nodded and pressed his thumb to the scratch before pulsing healing magic into it. It only took a few seconds before it was gone.  Rus couldn’t help but lick the area again after Edge moved his fingers. 

“How is that?” Edge asked, clearing his throat.

Rus noticed his eye lights on his tongue again. He had to stop doing that. 

“better, thanks.”

Edge nodded again. “You’re welcome.” He took a step back and sucked in a deep breath before straightening his posture and folding his hands together behind his back. He looked every bit the Captain of the Royal Guard.

“hey, edge?”

He hummed and looked at Rus. 

Rus shuffled just a little closer. “i’m really scared i’m gonna fuck this up. i already have fucked this up, y’know? but, if you’re still interested...i’d like to try?”

Edge’s posture relaxed marginally before he reached out and pulled Rus into a soft hug. 

“I don’t know what you mean when you say you’ve already fucked this up, but yes, I’m still interested. You can’t scare me away that easily. I know you.” He pressed a soft kiss to the side of his skull. 

Rus didn’t bother trying to explain anything. Instead, he let himself burrow into the hug as he wrapped his arms around Edge and held on tightly. This was nice, knowing that there was more than friendship behind Edge’s tight squeeze. 

“I’d like to take you on a date tomorrow evening,” Edge said softly, his mouth moving against Rus’ skull. 

The thought was thrilling in a way Rus hadn't ever experienced before. “okay. where? in your ‘verse?”

Edge shook his head. “No, not there. There are...things...that would need to happen before I could take you anywhere past the outskirts of Snowdin in my ‘verse.”

“things?” Rus asked, leaning back enough to look up into Edge’s eye lights. “what kind of things?”

He clenched his jaw a few times before answering. “Collar things.”

Oh. Oh, boy. That was something he hadn’t even considered. 

“Before your overactive and wildly assumptive brain draws the wrong conclusions, let me just say that it would only be something you would wear when out with me in my ‘verse and it would only be for your protection. I wouldn’t expect you to wear my collar in your own ‘verse. Not so soon.”

Or ever. 

That was probably rude, but collars just didn’t have the same meaning where he was from. He knew for Edge it was about protection and shit, but in his ‘verse it was weird and kinky sex stuff. 

Edge huffed. “I really shouldn’t have said anything. I’m sorry, Rus.” he pulled back from the embrace and stepped away. “I understand if you wish to change your mind.”

“change my mind about what?” he asked curiously. 

“Dating me, of course.”

Oh, well, of course. “what, you think a little kinky talk is gonna scare me away?” He raised a brow, giving Edge an amused smirk.

Only to have Edge glare at him. “You know damn well it’s not a kink for me. I wouldn’t ask you to wear my collar simply to fuck you. I want you safe! I want everyone else in my ‘verse to know who they would have to answer to should they even breathe wrong in your direction. That isn’t a fucking kink!”

Fuck. He did know that, and he still pushed on the subject like a festering wound, like he would have long ago when he didn’t care if Edge hated him. 

He sucked in a breath and let it out slowly. “edge, look, i’m sorry. i am. i don’t want to change my mind. it will take me a while to be okay with that, though.”

Edge nodded. “Yes, I’m aware. That is exactly why I told you that we wouldn’t be going on dates in my ‘verse.”

He still sounded upset, but far less angry than he had a moment ago. 

A timid knock on the door had them both turning toward it. Edge strode forward and opened it to see Blue standing there smiling up at them. 

“Dinner’s ready,” he said, maybe a little sadly. He hadn’t wanted to interrupt them, but they also didn’t want to eat without them. 

Edge reached out a hand, and Rus took it. Despite the blush hot in his cheekbones, he didn’t draw his hand away when they sat together at the table. 

Let the others think what they would; they were giving this a shot.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> These idiots are learning to communicate. At least there were a few things discussed that could have been left to assumptions. Progress!


End file.
